Threads of Fate
by SeraphOmega
Summary: The conclusion of the battle for Terra has ended disastrously; the humans - defeated and scattered - regroup on a new, already-inhabited planet. With unexpected complications, unusual alliances, and no place to call home, who will stand tall to free the puppets of Nova from the threads of fate guiding their every action? [Sequel to "A Tale of Two"]
1. Crashing Existence

This is the sequel to my previous fanfic, A Tale of Two. Lots of goodies in store, concepts to include, and a whole wide world to explore!

Just to reiterate, in case someone didn't read the end review in Tales of Two, chapter 27 (final chapter), this story will be entirely in the universe of the game Monster Hunter, while using references and people from both God Eater Burst and Monster Hunter.

Enjoy~

* * *

"Arashi, we have a bit of a problem. Come to the cockpit, on the double." The pilot's voice sounded in his earpiece, calling him privately. The God Arcs had been acting up on the trip; the weapon switch function still worked, but neither the Devour function nor the communication function worked. To maintain contact with one another, each God Eater had been assigned an emergency headset for communications.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Arashi responded quietly, standing up from his previous position next to an armored viewport. He had been staring outside into the vastness of space, reflecting over the events that happened before now.

_According to what he knew: Kama – a good friend that he trusted; the first since the incident with an Akura Vashimu over a year ago, killing all of his childhood friends -, Kinaia – a girl he had started to trust, but whom went astray when bloodlust and insanity clouded her reasoning -, and Lindow – the old unit leader, whom 'died' in the same mission that 'killed' Kinaia – were all connected by artificial means due to choices made by Fenrir._

_Fenrir had created the first artificial Aragami - and every species thereafter – by using the DNA of Nova, destroyer of worlds and the only true Aragami, and splicing it into humans to synthesize a core for the then-inert Nova._

_After decades of trial and error, thousands of sacrifices made in their quest for power, Fenrir managed to create three fragments that could resonate with each other to forge a complete core._

As Arashi walked past the dozens of heartbroken and depressed God Eaters, most of which he didn't know personally, he thought to himself: _Was it worth it, Fenrir? Was this what you wanted?_

_The three pieces had rebelled against Fenrir, whether by coercion or force, and formed Nova's core by themselves to destroy the surface of Terra and eradicate all traces of human life._

_Arashi's homeworld was now a blackened, scorched wasteland that could probably never support life again. His last sight of his beloved world was of it going up in flames, and he knew exactly who caused it to happen._

He climbed up the compartment stairs, heading up a few floors in the space shuttle, and continued thinking on what happened.

_Before he left the planet, he overheard – and confirmed – Kinaia, Kama, and Lindow plotting to recreate the world in the image of what Nova wanted. Lindow was captured and forced to cooperate, but Kama was completely eager to destroy everything he had worked so hard to preserve._

Arashi was sickened, but also saddened by the loss. He never really knew Lindow personally, and Kinaia had always been a loose cannon, but he **knew** Kama, like a brother. Trusted him with Arashi's life, even.

_To see him so prepared to kill everyone and destroy everything, all in the name of revenge . . . the maddened glint in his eye as Arashi pinned him against the wall in a moment of unleashed rage, hoping to see some shadow of the former Kama in his eyes . . ._

It made him hate Fenrir with the same intensity as Kinaia and Kama. The difference between them and him was he wasn't about to condemn everyone he knew to exact his revenge. As it was, Fenrir is finished.

Except for Sakaki, whom Arashi didn't trust as far as he could throw him, every survivor was younger than 35 years old. His generation, as well as the one before, were the only survivors of this tragic disaster caused by mankind.

_They were all Terran survivors, now. Fenrir is dead, just as Kama wanted._

_Just as __**Nova**__ wanted_, Arashi added mentally, scoffing at such blind loyalty to a god infamously known for causing death and destruction.

* * *

He reached the cockpit without any difficulties, his inner thoughts having flown by quickly as he walked. As he entered the tiny room, surrounded by consoles and dials of various uses, the pilot was seemingly flailing his arms around as he twisted knobs and flicked switches in various positions around him, his main focus on a small cluster of beeping devices and several dials that dropped and increased randomly even as Arashi entered.

"Thank goodness you're here. I didn't want to raise a panic, but we're going to have a problem very, very shortly." The pilot was sweating, having given up on trying to stop the noises and leaning back in his seat.

Arashi leaned over his chair, asking "What is the problem, and why are those dials sounding like that?" with a bit of a nervous tone in his voice.

"Those dials, and what they represent, are the problem. They control the ship's shields, the landing gear, and the integrity of the ship's hull. Since we were one of the last shuttles out, we were among the shuttles that were hit by the shockwave of Nova's awakening. Our primary and secondary shields were knocked out almost instantly."

He pointed to a gauge and said "See the dropping numbers?" Arashi leaned over his shoulder and saw the number steadily dropping from 3000. By the time he looked back to the pilot, it was already 2950 and dropping quickly. He muttered "I'm not going to like this . . . am I?"

The pilot shook his head, telling him "That gauge is the integrity of the ship's hull. Since we lost the shields from the shockwave, we are flying through space with nothing protecting our ship from debris and radiation rays. If that gauge drops below 500 and we're still in space . . . there will be a very high chance of our armor getting holed. It'll kill everyone aboard from explosive decompression."

As Arashi began to sweat, glancing back at the gauge and seeing 2700, the pilot pointed to a lever above the console. A red light with an orange exclamation mark inside it was flashing on and off. "And the lever? That's the landing gear. The red light is indicating that, for whatever reason, we won't be able to land properly. That means we'll have to crash land on the planet we're going to. If we can't find a lake, maybe a huge plateau of snow . . . We'll be pounded into pulp on atmospheric re-entry."

Arashi quietly asked "What are the chances of finding a snowy plateau?" The pilot glanced at Arashi, grimly serious as he told him "There are very few snowy regions on Gaia, our destination. To my knowledge," he glanced at a virtual map of the now-visible planet approaching on the viewport, "There is only one snowy region around our incoming trajectory, and it's narrow. We'll only get one shot."

Arashi breathed deeply, calming himself to keep the pilot from getting more scared, and placed his hand on the man's shoulder to say "Then get it the first time. I have full confidence in your abilities." The pilot gulped, calming down as well, and pushed a button on the console. A pair of old-Terra joysticks rose out of a small hatch, complete with buttons on the tips of the sticks.

He gripped them both, focusing as they reached the planet's atmosphere. The hull integrity was at 800 now, so they really only had one shot. The pilot told him "I need to focus entirely on the manual landing. Grab that intercom over there and alert the crew; this is going to be a bumpy ride."

Arashi grabbed the microphone hooked onto the wall and flicked it on, announcing "This is God Eater Arashi Muramasa, alerting the entire ship to buckle in and prepare for a rough landing. Repeat, this will be a rough landing, so sit down and strap yourselves in."

He placed the microphone back on the wall after turning it off, almost instantly hearing a voice in his communicator asking "What's the situation?" Arashi had almost forgotten; along with him being one of the last few, he had also boarded with Soma, Kanon, and Sakuya.

Sakuya was still sleeping, Kanon was in the infirmary helping wounded civilians, and Soma was on the line, awake and alert.

Arashi quietly told him "Don't let it spread, but the landing gear malfunctioned and the ship's hull is about as thin as a few layers of aluminum foil. If we miss our target, we won't live long enough to regret it."

Soma was silent, quietly muttering "Roger. Regardless of what happens, it's been nice knowing you, Arashi." Arashi told him "You too, Soma. Let's both defy the odds again and get through this. The survivors need a leader," he watched as the ship, now coated in fire and dropping like a rock toward a mountain, "and we're the only ones on this ship that can fill those shoes."

The pilot yelled "Brace for impact!" as the mountains almost filled the viewport. Arashi pulled the pilot to safety, unintentionally making the pilot yank roughly on the joysticks as he pulled him into the room behind them . . .

* * *

Ketsu enjoyed the mountains near his village, feeling the breeze on his face as he hunted for Popo's on the Astral Cliffs near his home.

The meat from a small herd of those fat beasts would feed his village for almost a full week, possibly more. Plus, the hide and tongues could be sold to Minegarde for a decent price.

His brown hair, braided to reach his lower back in a Warrior's Tail, was covered by the reinforced skull of a Giadrome. The bones that belonged to the ice-based carnivore would be naturally strengthened against the cold weather of the mountains, and the bones of random beasts were all mixed and combined into the armor he now wore.

It was basic armor, but it was decent for a novice hunter like himself. His weapons were odd, and he was frequently teased for his choice; He used an Ivory Horn, the melody useful for him. The heavy horn resembled a smooth shell, and it was easy to forge.

Adapting to the current trend that Gaians recently adopted, he also carried a second, lighter weapon: a beginner's bow. It was nothing special; scales from a Giadrome covering a flexible willow branch. It was short enough to not trip him while he had his horn out, but flexible enough to provide maximum range.

He walked along the mountain paths he had grown accustomed to, wishing he were able to travel to the famous – or infamous, if you were a supply caravan or a novice hunter – mountain ranges of Pokke Village.

Sadly, he was born in the poverty-striken Kokoto village, able to hunt at a time when the supply caravans were unable to deliver much-needed supplies to his people.

A mix of bandit raids and Rathalos raids repeatedly destroyed every caravan sent to Kokoto, and the foods and materials were either crushed or stolen, depending on which enemy attacked the caravans.

He would continue to hunt for meat, honing his skills while keeping his people alive, and get strong enough to kill anything that would attempt to kill the people of Kokoto.

He stopped thinking, reflexively crouching as he heard the hollow steps of a Popo. He lay down in the snow, camouflaged slightly by his bleached Bone Armor, and slowly crawled forward past the small ridge to see a group of Popo.

There were ten of them, all adults and large, covered with fatty meat that would feed his village. He grinned with victory; this would be an easy hunt, and it would further his reputation in the Hunter's Guild.

Just as he was about to hunch into a crouch and aim at the fattest of them, the largest one stopped suddenly; it raised its head to face the mountainside, alarm evident in its stance.

It bleated to the herd, causing them all to run faster, and Ketsu cursed his bad luck as he dashed forward, bow in hand and an arrow on the string.

He shot one of them, the arrow piercing its hide as he loaded two more arrows at once to finish it off. By the time the extra arrows pierced the large Popo's skull, the others had fled the area.

Ketsu swore out loud as he carved the Popo, thinking he made a mistake. This failed hunt would probably cause some people to go hungry tonight, to his dismay.

He stopped suddenly, his ears pricked as he noticed the ambient noise - or lack thereof.

He grabbed the extra bag of Popo meat, having carved off most of the meat, and stood to circle the general area as he held his bow, an arrow on the notch.

He was nervous; there were no sounds from the hidden animals on the mountain top. Scuffling claws could always be heard – animals burrowing under the snow – unless there was one of two things to scare them into stillness.

The first reason was that a large predator was around, like a Blangonga or, heaven forbid, a Tigrex.

The second reason was if a natural disaster was approaching, noticed by the animals as they took shelter from impending destruction and probable death.

As Ketsu concentrated, trying to find the source of his unease, he heard an unusual sound; a whistling, as well as something similar to the flames that billowed from his village's metalsmith hut.

He looked up, hoping that it wasn't a Rathian or Rathalos, but stopped dead at the unbelieveable sight.

Some kind of meteor was falling from the sky . . . coming right at him!

Ketsu ducked into a nearby crevice in the mountain, holding his horn above his head for an extra little bit of protection while watching the falling chunk of flames as small pieces broke off to rain down on the surrounding area. It looked like an oval-shaped meteor; unusual, though not unheard of around the Schradian region.

It clipped the tip of the mountain, a large chunk from the left side breaking off and crashing in the snow near him as the meteor spiraled out of control into the Astral Canyons below – a large earthquake from some hundreds of years ago that had widened and filled a flattened mountain with snow and ice crystals.

It landed in the canyon, melting the snow instantly as the large object scraped along the sides of the canyon walls, a loud torturous screech causing the mountain to reverberate.

When the crashed meteor stopped sliding through the canyon, Ketsu stood from his hiding spot and examined the odd piece of . . . whatever that had cracked off of the meteor and landed in the snow. All around it, the snow had melted and cooled the fragment.

Ketsu saw that it was a large piece of metal, but he couldn't tell what type of metal. It looked like iron, perhaps steel, but it was pockmarked and unidentifiable, covered with holes and scorch marks.

He turned back to the meteor, now seeing an airship of some kind, badly damaged and resting on the plateau just past the canyon.

He ran to the side of the cliff, sliding down the snowy cliff side and taking the shortcuts he discovered to travel downward. _That looks like it was trying to turn this way, so there might be people in trouble!_

He reached the base of the mountain, racing along the canyon and seeing the trail of destruction. More pieces of metal had come off, and what looked like . . . an engine? It was more mechanized than the ones he had seen on the transport airships that delivered emergency livestock and rations to his people.

He reached the end of the canyon, sighting the large gouge in the earth from where the airship had carved a trail through the frozen ground. The canyon lowered downward in a steep slope to even out with the ground, leading to a wide area.

As he got closer, he heard a loud noise, like the hammers that the weapon smith uses to straighten out metallic weapons.

He stopped, arming his bow with an arrow but not readying it – there could be bandits on the airship, for all he knew – as the loud clang happened again. He saw what looked like a segment of the hull dent outward, like something hit it from the inside.

One more clang, and the hull segment caved outward, a foot thrusting through the hull as the large chunk of metal came off of its hinges to crash onto the ground below. Smoke poured out of the new hole in the ship, rising like a bonfire.

A boy, probably not much older than Ketsu himself, stuck his head out of the impromptu doorway. His face was bleeding from a cut on his forehead as he leaned outward and scanned the landscape.

He had short brown hair, though dirty and bloodied as of now. He wore strange clothes; a black shirt, covered by metal armor at the shoulders. Black pants made of an unknown material, also covered by metal at the knees.

Ketsu, having run parallel to the airship, was out of his sight for now. As Ketsu observed, the person jumped down to the ground from the hole in the hull; it was easily a ten foot drop that looked lethal for his condition, and yet Ketsu watched in amazement as he landed perfectly on his feet, not even grunting in pain.

Ketsu continued to watch as a second, scarier person jumped out similarly like the first. He wore a torn blue coat that looked too large for him, tan pants that had a lot of pockets in them, and his snow white hair was partially covered by a torn covering. His torso was wrapped by a bloody bandage, and he landed with a slight wince.

Ketsu also noticed – with rising dread – that they had unknown weapons on their backs; One had a black crystal blade, made of Akura Vashimu materials, while the other had an unknown black blade similar to the handsaws that the adults used for construction. The teeth on it, though, were bloodied and broken, as though it had gone a long time without being repaired.

They looked suspicious as they gazed around the landscape, seeming like they were looking for something in particular. _Maybe they really __**are**__ bandits! Or maybe corrupt hunters, looking to stash a poached monster somewhere until they can sell it on the black market!_

Ketsu, having assumed that they were hostile, notched an arrow into his bow and took aim at the first boy, who started moving away from the ship . . .

* * *

Arashi landed with a slight grunt, his leg sore from kicking the door outward. He coughed as the smoke cleared from his lungs, allowing him some air. The crash landing had been rough, certainly, but only three people had died because they ignored his directions to fasten themselves down.

_Damn fools . . ._ Arashi inwardly cursed. Three dead was bad enough normally, but it was absolutely unacceptable with how few survivors were left from Terra.

He looked around the landscape, seeing the ground covered in melting snow from the landing. He turned around, grimacing at the totaled shuttle. It certainly wouldn't be flying ever again.

He said on his communicator "Soma, The landscape is clear of anything hostile. C'mon down, but mind the fall." He watched Soma brace himself, one hand gripping the side of the hull as his other arm clutched his injured stomach, and jumped into the biggest clump of snow he could find. He stumbled, his wounds opening up again, and Arashi caught him before he fell backwards.

"C'mon, let's get you some rest. I'm sure we can find some herbs, or something useful in this area." Soma nodded, gritting his teeth as he stood despite the pain. _Same old stubborn Soma,_ Arashi thought to himself.

He walked a few steps toward the partially-grassy area nearby before something in his head told him to _step backward immediately!_

He obeyed the instinct, jumping backward and watching a large arrow, almost as thick as a spear, sail past his head and embed itself into the ground next to him.

He quickly twisted, pulling out his blade and engaging the shield as another arrow sailed toward him. It reflected off of the shield, the arrow unable to pierce the armor as it bounced away to land in the snowy grass. Arashi called out "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A boy, perhaps 16 or 17 years old, stepped out from behind a crack in the canyon they had just navigated the shuttle through, only stepping partially into view with an antique bow in his grip. Arashi saw an arrow loaded and pulled tight as it was aimed at him.

"Bandits are not welcome in Kokoto's territory. Get back to your group and go away." The boy said with authority, his left eye closed as he zeroed in on Arashi.

He wore odd armor; it looked like the bones of various monsters had all been forged into clothes. He wore a skull with a light-blue fin on his head, a brown braid reaching down to his waist with a few feathers tied to the tip.

Arashi disengaged his shield, but kept his sword up and ready as he said "We are not bandits; we've been chased from our home by our enemies, and we crashed here."

The boy pulled his string tighter, yelling "Prove it! Show me why I shouldn't believe you aren't going to steal our food yet again!" Arashi was confused; _steal his food again? What was he talking about?_ Soma walked up with his blade at the ready, hearing the unknown boy's yell.

Suddenly, two other unknown people – an adult male and a teenage female, both with odd armor – were nearby, yelling "Ketsu! Ketsu, where are you?!" The boy glanced backward, startled, and Soma made his move.

He dashed forward, using his superior speed and strength to high-kick the boy's bow out of his hands and twisting off of that to backhand the boy with a closed fist, pushing him to the ground.

The boy, who Arashi assumed was named Ketsu, showed impressive reflexes as well, pulling what looked like a massive shell from his back within seconds and smacked Soma's body away as he lunged again, lifting himself on one knee and positioning the horn similarly to how a God Eater held his blade.

Attracted by the noise, the two others ran toward the fighting teens, yelling "Ketsu! Are you alright?" The girl dashed over to the boy while the adult stood in front of Soma, guarding the two teens.

He wore odd blue armor that looked intimidating. The joints, arms, and legs looked almost bladed, while the chest had two ridges on each side of his body. He wore a bladed helmet, obscuring his face from view.

He held out a massive blade – a huge bone similar to a lower jaw, almost as large as Soma's weapon - as well as having what looked similar to an Ibaraki bow on his back.

"State your business and why you attacked my son, or I shall cut you down with no mercy!" he demanded, steel in his voice.

Arashi lowered his weapon, saying "Soma. Lower the sword, we aren't trying to fight right now. I'll explain."

As Soma lowered his blade, Arashi put his own weapon on his back and walked forward slowly, keeping his hands visible, not making sudden movements as he spoke calmly "Me, my comrade, and the people of our homeland were invaded by creatures and forced to flee. We crashed near a mountain in that direction," he pointed to the distant mountain, and then toward the damaged shuttle.

"We were attacked without warning by your son, who accused us of being bandits. We are the only survivors we know of from our . . . home, and we have wounded inside the shuttle. We were trying to find some herbs, antidotes, poppies, anything to help those of us that need help as quickly as possible," Arashi continued, seeing the man's posture relax into a half-ready stance, but willing to lower his weapon. He turned to the boy, who looked guilty, and asked in a stern voice "Is this true, Ketsu?"

He kept his head lowered, saying "Yes, father. I assumed they were more bandits that came to steal from us, and I attacked without making sure." He sounded regretful, and Arashi sighed with relief when he realized there wouldn't be a fight after all.

His boy's father glared at him, telling him "We'll talk about this later. For now, return to the village; when your sister and I left to search for you, the others were holding off a few Rathalos that were trying to raid our livestock. With this distraction that you caused, they have likely already taken what they wanted and left by now." He sighed forlornly, gesturing for his son to follow him.

The man, who took off his helmet to reveal golden eyes, brown hair that was slicked back into spikes, and scars across his face, told Arashi and Soma "We would help if we could, but right now we have problems of our own. It would be best if you searched elsewhere."

A roar echoed in the air, loud and ferocious, and the man's back stiffened. He turned to the boy and girl, ordering "Alara, Ketsu, get to safety, **now**. Stay hidden until I say otherwise; they're coming our way."

He turned back, holding his blade in a fighting stance with the large weapon held horizontally in front of him as the roar repeated, louder and monstrous.

Arashi glanced upward to see a very unwelcome sight: What looked like a dragon was gliding downward, red and menacing with smoke billowing from its mouth.

Its head was lined with red spikes, it walked on two legs with the same red spikes lining the feet and limbs, and it had two massive wings that were spread wide in an intimidating pose.

All along its back, more red spikes angled backward, and it even had a tail that swished side to side, lined with red spikes and protruding, lined with white spikes.

The red dragon-like being scuffed it's feet backward, like it was preparing to charge, and it growled deeply before raising its head in a mighty roar.

The unknown man spoke to Arashi and Soma "If you want to run, I won't blame you. This Rathalos and its flock has been causing trouble for the supply caravans for over a month now. Our village is starving because of these wyverns. I guess it got tired of waiting and attacked us."

Still facing the monster, he said with a growl in his voice "This thing, as well as its children, stole my apprentice's life, starved my village of food, and killed many of our young hunters in their quests to kill it. I'm not leaving until either I kill it, or it kills me."

Yelling a battle cry, he charged in to meet the dragon he called a Rathalos, his blade slowing him down but fury in his eyes lending him strength.

The Rathalos roared, accepting the challenge, and charged in like a bull, its maw wide open and teeth shining with deadly promise . . .

* * *

A/N: I'd say this is pretty good for an introduction, don't you? Certainly introduces something worth reading right away, compared to Tales of Two.

I think my readers know by now that I have no idea what the meaning of "Building up the story first" means. xD

So, it's official: The sequel to Tales of Two is up, and the creativity furnace is burning on overdrive.

Cheers~


	2. Safely Saving Civilian Safety

"Second chapter, already? Gosh, this writer must really like these two games!"

Yup. You bet I do. *sidegrin*

Enjoy~

* * *

Arashi watched as the hunter brought his blade smashing down onto the Rathalos' head, only to miss as it flew backward, staying airborne for a few seconds before lunging in with its clawed feet.

The unknown man held his large blade in front of him with both hands, blocking the claws and pushing him backward slightly. He readied his blade once more, side-stepping as the Rathalos shot a fireball from its mouth directly at him. It smashed into the rock behind him, eliciting a feminine scream of pain.

The hunter, startled, looked backward in horror, searching for his daughter. The Rathalos took advantage of his inattention and shot another fireball at him. It impacted against his chest, sending him sprawling on the floor with a burn mark on his chest.

Arashi had debated on whether they should leave or stay. Yes, the man needed help, but so did the civilians and God Eaters back on the shuttle.

His mind was made up when, coming from the brush with the large shell-like weapon, Ketsu walked out. His hands looked slightly burned, but his face was determined as the Rathalos roared fiercely, ready to kill the next target.

As the Rathalos charged, Ketsu raised the handle to his head and . . . put his mouth on it?

Arashi understood at that point what he was doing when, with a burst of music on the large bulbous back, Ketsu started playing it like a horn and walking extremely slowly from side to side, twisting of the Rathalos' charge and cracking the horn against its knee joint.

It tripped, making a high-pitched whine as it fell face first into the floor, inches from Ketsu's father. It got back up and turned to swipe Ketsu with its tail, only to miss as Kama ducked and slammed his musical weapon into the ground, crushing one of the Rathalos' feet underneath it.

The Rathalos leapt backward again, flapping its wings as it landed to the ground.

It leaned forward, its eyes blazing, and stomped while it unleashed a massive roar similar to the Tigrex's enraged roar. It shot a fireball quickly before charging toward Ketsu, its mouth open to show sharp teeth.

Ketsu rolled to the side, getting clipped by the Rathalos' wing as it ran past him. It skidded to a stop, twisting around to face Ketsu again, and charged once more.

At that moment, a powerful blast against the left side of its face blew off several of the spikes on its head. It roared in pain, the force throwing it against a large rock.

Ketsu wondered what happened until the man from before, the one he attacked wrongly, asked "Need a hand?" Ketsu stood up from his spot on the ground, seeing the teen holding a large gun covered in a Tigrex pelt as he aimed at the Rathalos.

"You . . . you've killed a Tigrex? How? Even an Akura Vashimu?" Ketsu stuttered in amazement. He had acted completely clueless about the recent news happening to Kokoto, and yet he had taken down elite-class monsters?

The hunter glanced sharply at Ketsu, demanding "How do you know what these are called? Do you know of the Aragami?!" Ketsu's eyes widened in confusion, and he shook his head.

The guy narrowed his eyes in suspicion until the second boy said "Arashi, I could use a hand over here!" Ketsu looked over at him, staring in astonishment as he saw the gloomy guy who knocked Ketsu down earlier holding his own against the Rathalos, and even starting to win without any teammates.

Arashi yelled "Don't overdo it, Soma! Remember your stomach wound! We have no clue where to get medical supplies, in case you forgot!" as his weapon somehow transformed into the Akura Vashimu blade. He dashed forward to help the guy he called Soma, and Ketsu stared in envy as he watched them.

They were like a well-oiled machine; every action one made, the other complimented with his own move. As Soma used his blade, which somehow morphed out a shield, to guard a fireball, Arashi dashed in to slash the Rathalos' right wing in an uppercut motion, slicing the webbing into shreds.

As the Rathalos swiped with his tail, Arashi used his own morphed shield to block the way, leaving Soma to slash downward across the Rathalos' skull. It split the shell open, causing blood to drip from the beast's head as it whined in pain, attempting to flee but limping slowly because of the leg injury Ketsu had given it.

Arashi morphed his blade into a gun once more and, aiming directly at the Rathalos, let loose a stream of bullets. He didn't let up on the stream until the Rathalos collapsed, weakly whining once more before letting it's head fall to the ground as it died.

Ketsu snapped out of his trance when Soma fell to a knee, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain. He ran over, pulling out his own medical supplies and potions when he saw the extent of the damage. His bandage was completely red with blood, slightly dripping from excess blood.

He grabbed out a second potion and, giving it to Arashi, said "Get him to drink that. It'll aid the healing of the cut from the inside. I have to get under that bandage!" He grabbed out his carving knife, carefully cutting the bandage off, and stared in shock.

His entire left side, next to his kidney, was completely raw from a severe burn that wasn't given the chance to heal. Blood flowed freely from the torched skin, and Ketsu said "A potion won't be enough for this . . ." in nervousness.

Arashi calmly said "It'll have to do for now," and Ketsu looked at him to see Arashi staring back with reluctant trust.

Ketsu looked back at the wound, taking a clean rag and drenching it in a stronger, more potent potion before placing it directly onto the wound, covering the whole area and pressing down to let the juices sink in. Soma hissed, the pain intensifying, before he leaned back in exhaustion.

"It's numbing. Is that . . . a good sign?" Soma panted out quietly. Ketsu nodded, saying "Yeah, potions heal small scratches and temporarily allow movement of strained or broken bones. They also numb an area if enough is applied, which is best used for large cuts, amputations, or third degree burns. It numbs the wound for a few hours; hopefully enough time to get him some help!"

After tying a new bandage tightly around Soma's chest, he ran toward his father. He was unconscious, but breathing steadily. Ketsu moved him toward Soma, resting him in a soft patch of snow to cool the burn.

Sighing with relief that he was alright, he called out "Alara, the Rathalos is dead! Come on out so I can check your arm again."

A rustle in the bushes, and his sister stood up while clutching her burned arm. Her Daimyo armor was unsuited to fight against a Rathalos; the red shelled chest plate had peeled like a snake shedding old skin, revealing the scorched arm underneath. Her visor-helmet was up, allowing Ketsu to see her teared-up golden eyes as she bit down on the pain.

Ketsu had bandaged her up, but he was no medic; she'd need to get it checked by someone who was a professional.

As he lent her his shoulder, he heard Arashi's voice behind him as he said "Will you let me and those of us in charge of our people assist you and talk to your leader?"

He turned and faced Arashi, saying "Yes. I'm sorry about attacking you earlier, we've been plagued by misfortune from several monsters and bandits recently. They keep destroying our supply convoys, so our village is starving and in heavy disrepair. I assumed you were an enemy, and I ask for your forgiveness."

Arashi smiled a little bit, saying "No worries. Had someone like you arrived around our home, unknown and different, we would've been suspicious as well."

Arashi pressed a finger against his ear suddenly, his face taking on a focusing quality; as he spoke to seemingly no one, Ketsu saw the black piece of metal in his ear. He listened, feeling a little hopeful for the future of his village as he heard Arashi's side of the conversation.

"Kanon? Arashi here. Is Sakuya awake yet?" A pause, then "Alright. Tell her to . . ." Arashi glanced at Ketsu, coughing awkwardly and lowering his voice ". . . to change into something more modest than what she usually wears." A pause, then "We've made contact, and she might attract too much attention as is."

A long pause, Arashi looking like he wanted to speak a few times, before seemingly interrupting the other person on the line with a sharp "Look, just bring several fit and able God Eaters, as well as yourself and Sakuya, and meet us directly outside. We made contact with more humans, but they live a completely different lifestyle than us."

Arashi paused, thinking, and quietly murmured ". . . We also made contact with a possible Aragami. I'm not sure, because its bones broke and it died fairly easily, but we should stay on guard nonetheless. Meet me directly outside the shuttle in a few minutes."

He listened for a second more, and then released his finger from the black metal in his ear. He turned to Ketsu, saying "We'll be willing to work for however long we'll be staying in the area. Let's head back to our shuttle so we can meet the others."

He walked off, leaving Soma to sit by the rock holding his chest, and Ketsu asked his sister "Do you feel safe enough to stay with Soma?"

She asked "Who?" and Ketsu pointed to the gloomy God Eater resting by the rock. At her hesitation, he told her "Him and the guy who just walked off, Arashi, took down the Rathalos with ease. Soma over there did most of the work, and he already had that wound on his chest before the fight."

Her eyes widened, and she asked "Is dad alright?" with fear evident in her voice.

He understood her worries; their mother had been killed a few weeks ago, in the first of the raids. She had been poisoned by a Rathian and hadn't received help in time.

Alara was terrified of losing their father, and with good reason.

"He's alright, Alara, he's just resting over there." He pointed to the snow drift near Soma, and she scrambled over to sit by him, lightly touching the hole in his armor as well as the burned skin underneath. "How did he get hurt?" she whispered.

Ketsu murmured "He turned back to help you when he heard you scream from the fireball that hit your arm."

She was quiet, sitting by her father, and Ketsu jogged back to the thing that Arashi called a 'shuttle' to see several people standing around, stretching their arms.

By Arashi were three other people, all women. One wore a tough red skirt with a black tanktop, a large futuristic gun on her back as she leaned against a rock with her arms folded. Her face was gloomy, like Soma's, but she didn't look scary; it seemed to make her more beautiful, her long brown hair cascading across her right shoulder.

The second, wearing a green and gray skirt with a matching shirt, was talking to Arashi. Her face had a bit of a shy quality, but she spoke loudly and paced back and forth impatiently. A large cannon was strapped to her back, looking just as foreign as the other weapons he had seen these outsiders with. Her bright pink hair was in a braid similar to his own, laying across her shoulder and down her left arm.

The last woman, who looked like she could be a weaponsmith, had a toolbox open as she adjusted something on Arashi's weapon. She had gray pants, a gray sweater with long sleeves, and goggles on her forehead. Her gray hair was bundled inside a wool hat, and several wrenches were attached to her pants. He didn't see where her weapon was, though. Maybe she didn't have one?

He got close enough to overhear the pink haired girl saying "How sure are you about sighting Aragami? Have you ever seen that breed before?" Arashi shook his head, saying "You know as well as I do, Kanon, that new breeds were found back on Terra almost monthly."

"Yes, but still! We can't have everyone panicking so soon after we land, and that's exactly what will happen if you really did see an Aragami!" she argued, her face worried.

Ketsu chose that moment to announce his presence, saying "Arashi has mentioned this 'Aragami' that you speak of before. Would you mind telling me what it is?"

All conversation stopped dead as they realized that he overheard. The girl with brown hair who leaned against the rock said "Aragami are ferocious, unnatural beasts. Extremely hard to kill, they don't die from wounds to the brain or heart . . . Ringing any bells?" She seemed very lethargic as she spoke.

Arashi's eyes widened in alarm as he said "Sakuya, shut your mouth!" quietly and sharply. Ketsu's enhanced hearing picked it up anyways, and all the odd things these people had said started to make sense, a little. He managed to think of a coherent question as he explained the most basic concept of Gaian nature to these 'veteran hunters'.

Ketsu put his hand on his chin, carefully saying "Well, there are large, ferocious beasts on this planet, and they can be very hard to kill at times. However, each one is different to kill, and all of them die easily if you know where to hit them. They are a natural part of Gaia, and they are the main source of food for everyone."

He narrowed his eyes, suspiciously asking, "How could you not know of the monsters all over the world? Where are you really from?" Arashi glared at the girl, who sighed and looked down. Arashi hesitantly told him "You probably won't believe us, but we're from another planet."

Ketsu had his face carefully neutral as he asked "So you were escaping from your homeland . . . on another planet?" Meanwhile, he was thinking. _That would explain the unknown metal, the odd clothing, as well as the giant flaming airship coming out of the sky . . ._

Arashi sighed again, looking downward nervously before telling him "Yeah. It's called Terra, and it used to be very similar to this planet before the Aragami ruined it. They ate everything and killed everyone they saw, and we fought them in a worldwide war for several decades. We eventually lost, and had to evacuate the planet."

Ketsu was silent, thinking it over. _Should I trust them, or . . ?_ He decided to go with his gut.

* * *

Arashi was silent, awaiting Ketsu's answer and mentally cursing Sakuya. _Way to go, revealing that piece of information before thinking!_

He was surprised when Ketsu nodded slowly, saying "It makes sense, in a way. Some of the monsters in the world look too large or unnatural to have belonged here first. Perhaps they also came from different worlds."

He looked up, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he said "Come on, we need to get my family before we head to my village. You have me somewhat convinced, and I'll help you with the next step: convincing my village leader. He's old and wise, so perhaps he'll find it easier to swallow."

Arashi sighed in relief before waving to the God Eaters, saying "One of you stay behind and alert the others that we're going to get help, and set up patrols to protect the civilians. We'll radio in shortly." Licca suddenly announced "This could end badly if there are no more Aragami here."

Arashi, already thinking the worst, asked "What is it this time . . ." All of this stress was going to wear down on his heart sooner or later.

Licca was silent for another moment, continuing to examine his God Arc, and announced "Alright, I'm sure of it now. Oracle Cell levels are dropping on all of the systems. If you run out, your gun and shield will be useless, unable to engage or fire. This brings up another question, and one that I'm going to stay behind to research."

She looked at every God Eater, which gathered around in muted horror at her words, and told them "If our weapons run out of Oracle Cells, then our bodies might also run that chance. All of us could be walking time bombs, ready to transform into Aragami at any given moment."

Arashi's chest tightened, not believing her. "How? We have the Bias Factor - we should be alright!" _We can't have survived the end of the world, only to die by the very thing Fenrir forced into our bodies!_

Licca said "I'm not sure, and that is only following the train of logic. How would we recharge our Bias Factor? What if our Oracle cells are overpowered and the Bias Factor starts to take us over? We've never had a situation like this back on Terra; I need to do some tests. Who wants to volunteer to see if we'll survive or transform into Aragami?"

Everyone was silent until a God Eater in the back, one that Arashi didn't know, said "I'll volunteer. We need to try and figure out how to beat this, and I'll play the guinea pig if you know what you're doing." He stepped forward, revealing an adult with a bushy beard, blue jeans, and a brown hunting vest that looked like it was manufactured in pre-Aragami Terra.

He was one of the older God Eaters, and Licca nodded while saying "Thanks, Chris, this might save us all, or warn us ahead of time. Arashi, see what you can do on your end while I check out my end."

He nodded, waving everyone forward as he turned to Ketsu. "Let's go get your family and Soma, and we can go to your village. Perhaps we can salvage the materials from our God Arcs and make new weapons, somehow."

Ketsu nodded, hurrying away toward the dead Rathalos' corpse where they had left Soma and the others to rest.

* * *

A/N: Ooh, plot twist! Their Oracle cells might dissipate from their bodies, eh? How would that affect someone who's had it all their life, I wonder..?

Cheers~


	3. Kokoto Alliance

The village of Kokoto was normally a small – but thriving and lively – town, filled with helpful civilians and eager hunters.

Today, however, the entire Schradian region was in the middle of a drought that prevented any sizeable amounts of crops from being grown.

What's worse is that every caravan sent to deliver emergency supplies was either robbed by bandits or destroyed by the nest of Rathalos and Rathian that had recently settled in the area.

The village elder in the town of Kokoto watched the citizens of his town with obvious sadness. _What kind of leader am I, to watch my people die and be unable to help?_

Between the bandits, whom raided every supply caravan they could see, as well as monsters that destroy the ones the bandits miss, it was a wonder how they were still alive.

The town had a feeling of perpetual gloom - their food had almost been completely depleted, even with the rationing; there weren't enough fit hunters to bring in food; more and more hunters died or became injured from attempting to kill the group of wyverns that stalked the routes in and out of Kokoto like hawks . . .

_It's a miraculous wonder that the Rathian and Rathalos' haven't decided to destroy the town yet . . ._ the chief grimly mused, resigned to watch himself and his village die out, becoming nothing but ruins in the desert.

However, he saw several of the town's hunters gathering near the front entrance. He stood up, grabbing his walking stick to see what the commotion is about. Whatever it was, it instantly changed the gloomy mood into a celebratory one.

* * *

Arashi followed Ketsu into his village, glancing around him at the crowd they had attracted just by walking in.

_Well, _he mentally acknowledged, _it could also be because of the fact that we killed one of the Rathalos._ Ketsu had sent a small cat back to his village ahead of time to ask for a large wagon for a killed monster.

When the cat returned, a note in its collar asking which monster, all Ketsu did was smile to himself as he wrote the response note and stuck it inside the collar of the small cat, sending it away again.

The note he wrote said: "_You'll see for yourself when we get back. I guarantee things will get far more promising now, though."_

And promising, things did look; when they hadn't been noticed at first, the atmosphere was melancholy, almost like the villagers knew they were going to die, and had given up hope.

The moment was shattered, though, as a small child being held by his mother noticed them first. He had pulled her sleeve, announcing "Ketsu killed something scary this time! What is it?"

The woman exhaustedly looked to where her child was pointing, only for her eyes to widen in shock at the 10 strange hunters that followed Ketsu into the village, as well as the savaged Rathalos they were carrying on the wagon.

* * *

The message was told and repeated all across the town: new allies of Ketsu had killed one of the Rathalos. Despite it only being one of the first offspring of the flock, it was still one less wyvern to worry about.

The population gathered quickly after that, wanting to see one of the corpses of the source of their troubles. Adults cried with joy, young hunters hugged each other – unable to contain their excitement – and it was the equivalent of a parade as they walked toward the town plaza.

Arashi loudly asked, keeping in mind what Ketsu told him to say, "I would like to speak to your village elder; it is a matter of extreme importance." He was almost surprised when a creaky voice nearby said "I'm listening, youngster."

He saw an extremely old man hunched over a cane. As Arashi knelt down on a knee to face him eye to eye, however, he saw the spark of sharp intelligence still burning strong in the elder's eyes.

Arashi said "Me and my comrades were forced to flee from our homeland, and would like to shelter here until we are able to continue on. We have no need of supplies, only boarding for the most injured of us, and we will take care of any quests that you have in exchange for your assistance."

The elder slightly narrowed his eyes, and then nodded. "It won't be a very pleasant stay, I'm afraid. We don't have enough food for ourselves, let alone visitors."

Kanon, who was standing next to Arashi, said "We could help you with that. Maybe you could let us take care of the Rathalos problem you have, too?"

Several gasps of astonishment were heard in the crowd as she said this, and Arashi covered his eyes in embarrassment. _How could you ask that so nonchalantly . . ._

To his surprise, the elder nodded as he creaked out "That would be much appreciated, missy. Far more than you could imagine."

Arashi was pleasantly surprised; the elder was reasonable enough to accept help when he needed it, instead of denying it due to pride.

"In fact," the elder continued, digging in one of the pockets of his robe, "If you take care of the wyvern infestation now, we could aid your allies in transferring your wounded here. It would be done by the time you get back, and we could treat them sooner!" Arashi nodded, accepting the piece of paper from the elder.

"Youngster, a word before you set out. Keep three of the people you trust most with you. The rest of you," he indicated to the hunters and civilians standing around "can go with the others to help their injured over here."

As everyone got busy, motivated for the first time in a long time, the elder pulled Arashi, Kanon, Sakaki, and Soma close to him.

He said knowingly "I can already tell you folks aren't from around here. You sounded far too refined to belong to the Schradian region, and you don't look like Guild officials. It almost sounded like you were a duplicate of Ketsu." _Curse you, brat . . ._

Arashi winced, saying "Well . . . you're right. We aren't from Kokoto; we're from a land called Terra." If they didn't tell him it was a different planet, it might make them seem less crazy, right?

"It's in a region a long way from here, and we managed to escape in an airship before everyone was killed in a monster invasion." _Not the truth, but not exactly a lie, either_, Arashi thought.

The elder nodded, satisfied with his answer. He told them "Well, it seems you don't have a Hunter Guild Licence, since you never showed it to me," which prompted another wince by Arashi.

"So, to show my appreciation further, I'll make you four Guild Cards, as well as more for the rest of your hunters. By the way," he added, peering at their damaged weapons, "I don't suppose you'd like some new weaponry, would you?"

Sakuya nodded with a slight smile, saying "That would be perfect. Ours have had to be in use for the last several weeks without repairs. They're practically falling apart!" _Once more, not a lie . . ._ Arashi thought to himself.

* * *

An hour later, and they had received new weapons that looked to be from this planet's style. They looked antique, almost, and there was no sign of any Aragami taint on it.

Arashi had gotten a long blade, like a katana, carved from the Akura Vashimu pieces that were deemed good enough to be used in the weapon. The pieces he had gotten from the Rathalos were also crafted into it, making an elegantly designed blade.

He also got a small gun mixed with what they salvaged from the Tigrex equipment, as well as money back for the damaged pieces they kept, refusing to give their saviors anything but the best pieces possible.

Soma had gotten a large claymore similar to a large beast's jaw. It was reinforced with the black metal from his blade, the new weapon now shining with a polished granite glow.

Sakuya, when asked which weapon she wanted, chose a gunlance. It had a silver polish, the majority of the metal from her old God Arc being made into a large tower shield that went on her other arm.

She grinned a little bit, hefting the large weapon; she seemed a little livelier since landing on the surface of Gaia and being able to actively help. Arashi had been worried when she instantly fainted in the shuttle after he told her Lindow had died.

Kanon was given a large cannon with the barrel being a large bone which was hollowed out and reinforced with iron on the outside. It was similar to her old weapon's style, but hopefully she would learn how to fire accurately soon . . .

When she asked where the bone came from, she was told, "That's actually a segment of leg bone from a Lao Shan Lung. Our hero - who has long since been dead - had slain it years ago, but we still have sections of the Elder Dragon."

Arashi's mouth dropped in shock. The bone was perhaps as long as Arashi's body from the waist up; that was only a **segment** of a leg bone? _How big is this thing, anyways?!_

"Anywhoodles! We'll show you the area where the nest is. We believe there are five left: the mother, the father, and their remaining children. We'll trust you to take care of them however you feel is necessary." The elder smiled widely, grateful for the sudden help of the strangers.

Arashi nodded, and the elder left to gather the paperwork and a map of the surrounding area. He lifted his blades, getting a feel for them.

They were simple, yet elegant; the handles of both were an odd type of metal - _perhaps a differently-refined iron?_ – both blades consisted of ice crystals angled straight up, like a thick dagger. Both ice crystals were covered by armor from the Akura Vashimu – sharpened to a point and curled almost completely around the base crystal.

He looked at his team's weapons, judging what they might be able to do by how they look.

Sakuya had her . . . gun lance, they called it, and it looked to be a modified version of an already popular weapon. It had the general appearance of a lance, but the top was shaved off and the inside hollowed out to reveal a gun barrel.

There was a spike on each quarter of the barrel opening, held in place by a moveable socket that could be activated to make all four blades move in an X-shape over the barrel, forming a sharp javelin point as well as protecting the inside of the gun barrel.

Sakuya headed off to explore the town, to which Arashi quietly asked her not to reveal where they were actually from, and continued the inventory check.

Soma, holding his jaw-looking blade over his shoulder, was looking vaguely uncomfortable. The blade, as he noticed before, had a large jawbone on the end of the blade, and it seemed like it was more suited for crushing than cutting.

It was also dyed black, the jaw bone studded with the teeth of the old sawblade and reinforced with black metal. After a second, surprisingly, Soma dropped the weapon off of his shoulder and held it as the weapon fell on the floor.

As it landed, a massive _Thud!_ of heavy metal colliding with wood resounded through the area. It prompted Arashi to ask "You alright over there, Soma?"

He grumbled, saying "It's a bit too heavy to carry it like that now. I need to find another stance until I'm strong enough to lift it again."

Arashi told him "Work on it for now. We need you in the best possible fighting form if we're going to take on a few of those things at the same time." He nodded, heading to an area that looked like a training ground of sorts.

Arashi glanced at his own weapons, deciding to test his sword first. He examined it closer as he searched for a vacant area to swing, admiring the design.

It was a long, thin sword with the hilt and the blade edges red from the Rathalos materials. The inside of the weapon was filled with a long dark crystal, salvaged from the Akura Vashimu weapon he used to have.

He lifted the blade, feeling the weight, and stabbed forward experimentally with no one in front of him. It was very light and had little drag, but it was a bit too long for his tastes. If he used it like he used his old God Arc, it would leave him too open for attacks. _I'll practice as well,_ he decided.

* * *

He headed in the direction Soma took after making the elder aware, seeing another man standing in front of a gate. He wore an intimidating armor; it was gray underneath, smooth red guards covering his shoulders, chest, and knees. Two red spikes jutted out from his gloves, angled back toward his shoulder.

He had no helmet on, his right eye blinded with a milky whiteness and his left eye was a dark brown, sharp with awareness. He had long gray hair that reached to his shoulders, and his face was wrinkled with age. His body, however, was strong and lean from a lifetime of fighting.

On his back, a large buster blade was diagonal from his left shoulder to his right hip. It had a red cog designed into the metal, a chain connecting the handle to a hole in the metal. On his hips were two smaller forms of the bowgun he had gotten from the Tigrex pieces, and they looked to be about the size of the first Pistol-form God Arc.

He announced, "Welcome to the training area! I bring in Guild-sanctified monsters for rookies and veterans alike to fight and hone their skills!"

Arashi nodded, seeing the analyzing gaze behind the grandiose attitude he had. "I saw a friend of mine come here. Blue jacket, white hair, extremely moody?" He nodded, saying "Yeah, there was a kid like that who walked in not too long ago. Either he needs a new weapon, or he needs to improve his skills greatly. I'm guessing you wish to join him?"

Arashi nodded, ignoring the condescending tone the man took as he said, "Alright, go on in. Maybe with a teammate, he'll match up to a half decent hunter."

Arashi walked into the training room, seeing tall walls in an arena-like function. There were spare weapons, a box which contained items – which Soma hadn't even touched, Arashi noted with irritation – and a bed to rest on before going through the small entryway into the actual fighting arena.

Arashi grabbed some bottles with a green liquid that smelled fragrant – _a potion, perhaps?_ – a few whetstones, and some small orbs of food that gave a boost of stamina as you kept it in your mouth, letting the nutrients get absorbed into your body.

Arashi had read so on the label, seeing the "New Item: Candied Ration" card on the bag of food.

He pulled out his weapon and walked into the arena, immediately having to throw himself to the right to avoid a fire blast from an odd chicken thing with large ears. It stood similarly to a Rathalos, but its screech, attacks, and demeanor were far less threatening than the Rathalos.

"How in the hell are you losing against this oversized chicken, Soma?!" Arashi exclaimed, dashing in with his sword held low. Soma snarled back "I don't want to hear that again! This weapon is too large right now, and I can't lift it properly!"

As he spoke, the beast body slammed him into the wall. Soma coughed and dropped to his knees, clutching his burned side in pain. The chicken, now focused on Arashi, screeched like a Chi-You before charging at him like the Rathalos did.

Arashi attempted to slash its leg to make it fall, but forgot about the length of the weapon, as well as the weight. He swung too fast, clipping the right wing with the very tip of his weapon before he was stomped into the ground.

He yelled in pain, clutching his stomach and popping a Candied Ration in his mouth. Though he was still in pain, he could ignore it better now. The chicken hopped into the air, flapping its wings to hover, before diving downward with its claws extended, hoping to impale Arashi.

He dodged to the right, avoiding the aerial dive and watching as it skidded close to a stop a small distance from him. It swung its tail, trying to smack him away, but Arashi ducked under the tail swipe and stabbed forward to impale the right wing through the webbing, as well as the shell behind it.

The monster threw Arashi away with its head as it lifted in an uppercut motion. Arashi was knocked away, taken unawares and defenseless as his weapon was lodged in the monster, pinning its right wing to its body.

Its eyes started narrowing in rage, smoke mixed with fire started flowing from its mouth constantly, and it jumped up and down in a temper tantrum. Arashi - forced to leave his gun in the training area - was now weaponless and armorless against a pissed off monster, but he didn't give up yet.

He crouched, holding his arms slightly spread out and bent next to his sides as it charged at him. He crouched and shuffled forward, moving between its legs and reaching up to grab ahold of its narrow tail.

The tail lifted him upward, sending him onto the monsters back as its tail flailed to regain its balance, unsteadied from the sudden extra weight of Arashi.

He grabbed his sword blade, pulling it outward until it was pulled out of the shell, and was thrown clear as the beast raised his head unexpectedly, letting out a screech of rage and jumping like it was a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

Arashi fell onto his back behind the monster, watching his blade fall from the injured wing to rest directly in the monster's eyesight.

Arashi dashed forward at the same time the monster raised its head, fire starting to emerge from its mouth to shoot at Arashi's blade. Just as Arashi reached the blade, the monster released a massive fireball. Arashi braced for the burn . . .

. . . only to see Soma in front of him, one arm bandaged as the other stabbed the massive blade into the ground, using it as a shield.

Arashi gasped "Thanks, I owe you one." Soma chuckled, telling him "We've fought bigger and badder things than this. I can't let my dinner beat me!"

Arashi grinned, holding his blade out in front of him with newfound confidence. Soma was right; they had fought demons, monstrosities, and escaped the end of their world. They couldn't lose to this piece of trash!

Soma settled into a new stance, as well; both hands on his weapon's handle as he held it in front of him, similarly to how Arashi held his lighter sword. Arashi and Soma caught each other's eyes, nodded in unspoken agreement, and dashed in to show this chicken the might of two elite God Eaters.

* * *

The man who was watching the training was rather disappointed with the progress of the two adults who requested his help. They had no sense of teamwork, no cohesion in their attacks, no known plans, and not even rudimentary knowledge of how a Kut-Ku fights.

He had turned away upon seeing the first boy - Soma Tsumi, he had called himself – get knocked out, resting against the wall with his massive blade out of his grip. _How embarrassing,_ he had thought to himself.

Facing away from the window of the tower near the Training Arena, he asked himself aloud "How on Gaia did these two bumbling idiots and that rookie Ketsu kill a Rathalos, and an adolescent one at that? It escapes my comprehension."

A loud screech of victory sounded from the Kut-ku, probably meaning the two amateur hunters had fallen unconscious, and turned back toward the glass.

He stared in curiosity as he saw the monster, a large hole in the webbing of its wing as well as a large crack in its shell, fired a fireball at Arashi, who had lunged for his sword.

He spotted Soma on his feet and dashing unnaturally fast, the enormous blade held over his shoulder by one arm as the other was partially covered in a bandage.

He skidded across the arena, the blade dragging a massive line through the granite rock beneath them, and blocked the fireball without even the slightest sign of recoil.

He leaned forward, suddenly very intrigued. The two were talking to each other, and though he couldn't hear what they said, it had a massive boost on their morale. _A foolish last stand, or perhaps something more?_ he mused inwardly.

Arashi jumped on top of Soma's weapon, using it as a boost to jump high enough to target the Kut-Ku's head. As he did this, Soma put his weapon on his back to sprint directly toward the Kut-Ku in a half-crouch.

Soma drew his blade at the peak of his sprint and threw all of his strength into a downward slice at the Kut-Ku's face just as Arashi landed on the back of the monster and angled his weapon downward.

Both attacks – Arashi's stab into the Kut-Ku's spine, Soma's head crush – landed at the same time, the Kut-ku weakly screeching as it collapsed, breathing its last breaths.

_Impressive, boys. Perhaps it's not your skills that need improving, but rather your techniques . . ._ The training instructor grinned, eager to help these budding prodigies, and headed down to congratulate them on their unexpected comeback.

* * *

Arashi grinned in triumph, wiping the blood off of his weapon by using the webbing of the dead chicken's wings. Soma was panting, out of breath as he pulled his weapon back up. He glanced at the edge of his weapon, noticing bits of skull and brains on it, and muttered "Ewww . . ." with a slightly immature tone as he scraped it off on the ground.

Arashi just laughed at Soma's complete abandonment of his usual attitude, content to see the interesting faces he made as the skull fragments were embedded in the armor surrounding the jaw piece.

He looked over to the entrance as he heard the training instructor belt out "Congratulations, recruits! That was a very nice comeback you two made!"

Soma's little moment past, they both nodded their thanks. The instructor gave them each three coins with the chicken-thing's face on it as a reward, and Soma asked "what's this?"

He raised an eyebrow, surprised, and informed them "These are Kut-Ku Coins, given when you kill a Yian Kut-Ku in the training area. You can exchange a certain amount of coins from me to get an armor piece or a weapon specifically made from that monster's pieces. Our armorers have an abundance of exchangeable monster pieces, though I will have to limit the number of coins awarded to ten a day so we don't run out of pieces too quickly."

Arashi nodded, interested, and asked "What other coins are able to be awarded?" The instructor listed off names on his fingers, Arashi stopping him when he heard a familiar name called out.

"Did you say Tigrex?" Arashi said, his eye twitching slightly when the instructor turned around, facing a desk and pulling out several sheets of paper. "Yes, the fierce Tigrex! Part Tiger, part Tyrannosaurus Rex! They are mainly seen in deserts or snowy locations, but there have been several branches of Tigrex discovered lately."

He showed the first picture, a white-furred cat creature with two large tusks on its upper jaw, and said "This one, the Barioth, was first spotted in the nest of two regular Tigrex. It was only a cub, but it changed its own genetics before birth to better prepare itself for the harsh cold and treacherous mountains. Natural selection at its finest!"

He tossed another one onto the desk, and Arashi glanced in shock before subconsciously whispering "Nargacuga . . ."

It was a picture in very bad quality, the lines blurred and the enraged glowing eyes seeming to make a line of red across the page, but it still brought back the memories from Terra, seeing Kinaia in his mind's eye once again.

The instructor, surprised, asked "You know of the Naruga Kuruga? Lucky you; there are no accurate books detailing it because not very many people survive an encounter with such a beast. As it is, the ones that do are so shellshocked that they cannot give much of anything useful."

Arashi shook his head, muttering "Not Naruga Kuruga. Nargacuga. I . . . I know very well about it. It destroyed Terra, my homeland, as well as killing two close friends of mine and several hundred hunters and civilians." He paid no attention to the look of alarm on the man's face, getting lost in his memories.

Soma punched his back, eliciting a loud "Agh! Hey, what was that for?" from Arashi as he fell out of his seat. Soma glared an unspoken warning, but said aloud "We need to get moving toward the elder of the village. As much as we wish it would happen, those Rathalos won't kill themselves."

Arashi blinked in surprise, wondering how he forgot about it until the instructor got onto one of his knees to put a hand on Arashi's shoulder. He quietly said, "I'm sorry about your homeland. I wish you and your civilians the best of luck, Arashi."

Arashi looked at the man's face, seeing his eyes unfocused as he traveled through his own memories, and he nodded, standing and telling "Thanks, sir. Good luck with training the others in our group; they're probably going to need it, if we did this badly."

He shook his head and said "First, since I feel like I can trust you, I'm Zhar. Second, I'm not the one who needs the luck." He grinned, and announced, "It'll be your hunters that need the luck of the Elder Dragons to get through my training course of Hell!"

Arashi and Zhar shared a big laugh before Soma cleared his throat, saying with a forced politeness "We're sorry, Zhar, but the elder has been **waiting outside for ten minutes, looking for us**," he emphasized that part while glaring at Arashi, and continued "so we have to leave now."

Zhar brushed it off, telling them "Just keep practicing with your weapons. You may be average now, but you have raw talent! Hone it, harness it, and unleash it on your enemies!"

* * *

Arashi and Soma both nodded before heading outside, walking toward the elder of the village who was waiting near a shop of some kind, a large shield image above the hut.

At that moment, Sakuya walked out of a nearby shop with a bag slung over her shoulder, saying "I got us tons of medical supplies for the wounded; should I stay here and wait for the civilians to get back?" Arashi tilted his head, asking "You sure? Don't want to learn how to use your Gun Lance?"

She grinned, saying "Who says I won't be learning how to fight? Zhar showed me a live recording of you and Soma getting your asses handed to you by that angry chicken. I like my chances staying here to learn how to fight, rather than rushing off and fighting Difficulty A monsters."

Arashi gulped before asking the elder ". . . What difficulty is Kut-ku?" He grinned as he said "Difficulty D. They are actually relatively weak." Arashi slapped his palm flat against his face, groaning into his hand. "This would be so much easier with our old weapons . . ." he grumbled.

Sakuya grinned before standing up, placing her new weapon across her back as she said "You didn't expect a fresh start to be easy, did you? Let's just get on with it so we can think of what to do next."

The elder interrupted them, saying something that shocked them all. "I've searched through maps of the entire planet. There is no region called Terra. Would you like to tell the truth, this time?" His eyes showed slight irritation, but mostly amusement.

The four were silent before Soma cleared his throat and said "We are from a different planet called Terra. Whether you believe us or not, it's the truth. We were chased from our planet as it was destroyed by creatures similar to the ones on this planet, but much different."

Arashi quietly added "Although, we think some breeds were either taken to or from this planet. Ketsu said he knew the name of the creature I made this gun out of," he held up the Tigrex Shot, "even though we arrived here not even a day ago. Do the names Akura Vashimu, Tigrex, Nargacuga, and Akantor sound familiar at all?"

The old man sat down on the floor in a flop, shocked. "There's only so much surprise an old man like me could take. Yes, all four of those names are familiar. Akantor, unofficial Elder Dragon of magma and rage. Nargacuga, stalker of shadows. Tigrex, terror of the sands. Vashimu, crystallized cave hunter. So you truly are from another world."

Kanon spoke up quietly, saying "Not any longer. We lost the war; the surface of Terra was destroyed, and it cannot sustain life any longer. Not human life, anyways. We have no choice but to carve out our lives here and hopefully reclaim Terra eventually. Whether it's us, our children, or our grandchildren; we can't just give up and die before we give it one last push."

The man was silent, thinking as he sat on the ground. He nodded to himself slowly, quietly saying "Well, provided you don't cause any problems in our ways or traditions . . . I see no reason to throw out people who are willing to work in order to stay."

As everyone sighed in relief, he added "Would you prefer this be kept a secret, then? You could just say you were from Kokoto. Not to mention," he said with a growing grin, "if you inspire any legends, you would bring fame and honor to Kokoto for a few generations, at least." He laughed at the God Eaters' unamused expressions.

"Wealp, it's all prepared, anyways. Here are your Guild Cards, and you'll have to build your reputation all over again. Shouldn't be too hard, if you've fought an Akantor and lived to tell the tale." He handed all four of them small cards; three were bronze colored, while the fourth was silver.

He gave Arashi the silver card, and explained "You seem to be the leader of this group of hunters; they trust you above anyone else. You should be proud you have such strong friends ready to follow you into a difficult battle so eagerly."

Arashi grinned, saying "It does help that, should they need the help, they know I'd do the same for them as well."

"At least," his smile faltered, "that's what my old friend would've said. But he died in the destruction of Terra." He finished briskly, unwilling to think of **him** so soon after his betrayal.

None of the other God Eaters knew what he was talking about, so he announced "Alright, let's go take care of some wyverns! We can learn everything we need to know later."

Sakuya sighed dramatically, saying "Fine, I guess I'll come with you guys. I mean, I'm the best shot in the group," she said with a smirk.

As they walked out of the town, Soma scoffed, saying "You're a sniper. The only other two gunners here were someone who fires everywhere at once, and someone who fires everywhere other than her target."

Outside the walls now, some people heard an offended woman saying "At least I don't get hurt all the time! Then there's you, who gets a wound to the stomach almost every mission!"

Arashi's echoing yell said "Shut up, or I will resign from this quest! I swear to god!"

* * *

A/N: There's the third chapter! Things will go slow for a while, and I'll have to switch between two other groups (I hope no one actually thought there was one shuttle that survived. They were scattered with different people in each one)

So the idea behind the epic Rathalos fight and then a terrible Kut-Ku fight was several changes. The first and foremost is different weapons (far weaker weapons, coupled with a forced change of techniques), as well as how they had never fought a Yian Kut-Ku or anything like it.

For the Rathalos, though, they watched enough of Ketsu's father's fight to get the drift of how it fights. Not a completely accurate way of fighting, but good enough for their godmodded weapons. How will they fare with much weaker weapons..?

Cheers~


	4. A New Contender Enters The Scene

Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 will be occurring at the same time, just to avoid confusion. I want to introduce a certain skill to one of our favorite, fun-loving OCs in this chapter to prepare for a future event I am certainly going to do!

Enjoy~

* * *

The shuttle that Naoko had flown on was working perfectly; it avoided Nova's shockwave, stayed with two other shuttles nearby, and was good with shields and hull integrity. Naoko knew all of this from the pilot she had befriended – a blonde woman named Valerie who wore a confident smile as she handled the space-borne shuttle.

"Alright, Beta Two and Beta Three, Gaia is in sight. Careful of that asteroid field, though, we can't get holed before we breach the atmosphere." she told the other two shuttles nearby, to which both responded "Roger, Beta One."

The one called Beta Two said "I was hit by the shock wave on the way in; my shields are down, and hull integrity is dropping. Let's hurry this up before I get holed, alright?" Both Valerie and the other pilot said "Roger" before Valerie placed her own radio on the console.

Valerie put her shuttle's speed to match the other shuttles and spun in her seat to face Naoko, asking "So, you wanted to learn how to fly this bird?" Naoko nodded eagerly, saying "Any new skill I can learn will be helpful right now. I need to be able to do as much as I can."

_And that was certainly true,_ Naoko mused as Valerie grinned and turned in her seat to radio the other two shuttles about something she noticed. _There aren't very many people left now. Perhaps there are four, five thousand people left. We need to be as prepared as possible for our new life, and it's always useful to learn how to fly an escape craft._

Valerie turned her head while facing the controls, telling Naoko "C'mon up to the controls, I'll show you how it's done."

Naoko leaned over Valerie's seat, watching as she pointed out the basic controls; landing gears, emergency manual piloting, and how to check altitude and hull integrity, among other things.

She had started explaining a few other things that Naoko hadn't understood, but stopped abruptly to face the view port as something exploded outside.

One of the men on the radio said "Asteroid down, Beta One. It was coming right at you; are you even paying attention?"

She nearly yelled into the radio "Next time, radio in before giving me a heart attack! I'm teaching one of the God Eaters how to operate this thing, and I wasn't facing the view port at the time!" She sighed on the radio, saying "Thanks for the assist, though. Just try warning me beforehand next ti-"

She halted as the viewport exploded inward, a small object flying through the reinforced glass and punching a hole through Valerie's forehead.

She sagged in her seat, a glassy stare in her eyes as the radio in her limp arm yelled "Beta One, Beta One do you copy? Your cockpit is venting air, where are you?!"

Naoko, who had dived under the control panel when the glass exploded inward, crawled to the radio and gasped "The viewport was hit by something, Valerie is . . ." she hesitated, not wanting to say 'is dead', but the other pilot swore, getting the gist of what she was saying.

He told her "Look on the control panel for a blue button. It'll be on the far right side, covered by a glass case. Do you see it?" Naoko looked and spotted it, saying "Yes, what do I do?"

An alarm sounded through the ship just as a monitor on the cockpit read '_Hull Breach: Oxygen levels at 70%'_. Naoko was finding it hard to breathe, and the hole in the glass started getting larger as the vacuum of space ripped at it.

The other pilot yelled "Flip open the glass and press the button, before you die of oxygen loss!" She flipped it open, slamming a fist on the button.

A large metal shield slammed into place over the damaged viewport, preventing more air from being drained and activating a light green hologram of the outside view.

The pilot said "Alright, the venting air is gone from my view. Good job. Only problem is, now your ship doesn't have a qualified pilot on board."

Naoko bit her lip before reporting back "I could try. She was teaching me the controls before the viewport broke, and I know how to do basic things."

The second pilot, who hadn't spoken until now, asked "could you check Valerie, find out what smashed through the glass?"

Naoko gulped before looking at Valerie. There was a small trickle of blood dropping from the hole in her forehead, and a chunk of rock was sticking out slightly.

Naoko closed Valerie's eyes with her hand before moving her body out of the chair, gently laying her down on the floor.

She sat in the now-vacant seat and placed Valerie's headset on her head, saying "It looks like a rock of some kind. Maybe a fragment of the asteroid?"

As the first pilot started swearing on the radio, the second yelled "Lock it down, Two!" To Naoko, he said "Alright, everyone on board is relying on you to get them to safety. Listen to everything I say, and you'll be fine. Look directly in front of you for a gray switch in between two knobs. Tell me what color the light below it is."

After finding the little switch, she told him "The light is orange and blinking, is that bad?" Silence, and then "Damn. Yes, that's bad; it means autopilot is disabled. Alright, activate the emergency manual controls and get ready for some hands-on training."

She gulped before pushing the button Valerie had shown her earlier, leaning back in surprise as a small compartment opened up to reveal two joysticks pointing out, as well as several levers and controls next to them.

She grabbed the joysticks before asking "Alright, what's next?" in a determined tone. As 'Three' described what she would need to do, the pilot's cabin door opened to reveal Sera with a worried expression.

* * *

As Sera walked in, she asked "Val, what's the problem? The alarm goes off, then cuts off a few seconds later, and you ignore every attempt to contact . . . you . . ."

She belatedly took in the situation; Valerie, dead and laying on the floor – as well as Naoko piloting the ship with ramrod-straight arms.

"Naoko . . . what happened to Val?" she slowly asked, dreading the worst.

"Hang on one second, Three, another God Eater is asking what happened. Two seconds, tops." Naoko spoke into her earpiece, then turned back and quickly recapped: a fragment of a destroyed asteroid flew through the glass to kill Valerie, Naoko was learning how to fly beforehand, now Naoko had to pilot the ship.

Sera yelled "Are you out of your mind? How do you know how to fly-"she was cut off as Naoko ordered her to "Shut up!" while listening to the radio again.

Several nods to the unseen voice later, Naoko gripped the joysticks and, without facing Sera, told her "Either be quiet behind me, give me support, or panic elsewhere. I need to focus if you want everyone here to live!"

Sera stayed quiet, bottling her own fear up and leaned over the pilot's seat to watch Naoko's hand flying across different controls.

Naoko looked upward, directly at a handle above her head, and said into head piece "Yeah, I see it. Green light; does that mean it's useable?"

She listened, and then sighed in relief. Focusing on the controls and the hologram in place of her view, she tilted the controls forward.

The ship awkwardly jerked forward, and Naoko flinched. Sera put her hands on both of Naoko's shoulders to calm her, and she took a deep breath to continue.

On the hologram, Sera saw the planet growing larger and larger, eventually seeing a large mountain range absolutely covered in snow.

* * *

Naoko abruptly turned the view hologram to the right, seeing the second ship heading lower into the atmosphere instead of going with the others. She asked the helpful pilot "Why is Two breaking off?"

The first pilot, flying the second ship, tensely reported "There's a bit of a . . . problem. Our hull is dangerously low, and we're losing altitude no matter what we do. My landing gear is toast, so we'll have to crash land. Don't worry though, we'll contact you as soon as possible!"

The second pilot - Three - was silent for a moment before saying "Good luck, John. Don't you die too, alright?" John, the first pilot, said "Don't worry about it; I just called the top-ranked God Eater on my ship to come to the cockpit and be made aware of the situation. Arashi Muramasa, if you've heard of him. We'll be fine."

Naoko paused, saying "Make sure you land as carefully as you can. Arashi might be one of the best chances we have." Sera, whom Naoko forgot was near her seat, asked "What's this about Arashi?"

As a group of mountains came into view, covered in snow and ant-sized creatures, Naoko tersely said "Arashi is on Two's ship. I need you to be quiet while I'm landing this thing!"

Naoko, not finding a decent landing point, was interrupted from her searching as Three yelled "Mayday, mayday, Aragami inbound! We're not gonna make it!"

Naoko turned toward the last shuttle in the group, seeing two Aragami-like creatures attacking the shuttle; they looked similar to each other, in that they both were covered in spiked scales and shot fireballs from their mouths. One was green, the other was red.

As Naoko landed the ship haphazardly on the mountain, trying to get the God Eaters on the ground to help the other shuttle, one of the beasts shot a fireball at the engine and destroyed it. The shuttle swerved to the side, impacting the ground on top of the mountain and caving inward, exploding when something vital was damaged.

Naoko slammed her fists on the console in front of her before grabbing her communicator, ordering "Every God Eater able to fight, get outside and defend the ship!" just as the shuttle shook from something impacting against the hull.

Naoko turned to Sera, saying "Get out there and help the others. I have to stay in here, in case someone contacts us."

She nodded, dashing down the cockpit stairs and out of Naoko's sight. Another large rumble rocked the ship as Naoko heard a deep, menacing roar somewhere outside.

Another two followed it, deep and threatening, and Naoko prayed that the God Eaters would take care of the monsters in time.

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's a bit action-filled early on (Okay, more than 'a bit'), but I sort of have to do it like this. The crossover is slightly awkward, and you'll see how these events are necessary later on.

Cheers~


	5. A Frigid Encounter

Just to prepare everyone who reads my stories, I will most likely be posting less and less often for all of my stories. School, work, and job hunting are all formidable time consumers, and i can only write in my free time.

I have not forgotten about the story or my readers, nor have i lost interest in this. I just have other, more important priorities right now. Thanks for understanding, and enjoy the story.

* * *

"Alright people, let's get out there!" Tatsumi shouted, waving his hand toward the door as he led the few God Eaters on the shuttle.

Sera followed the first group, God Arc in hand, and jumped out of the hatch. It was angled upward, so there was no other way to the ground other than to leap for it.

It was a mountain plateau, but it was very flat. There were small ridges all around, as well as a mountain range in the distance covered in snow.

As Sera watched, the shuttle that Naoko watched fall earlier was angled toward another mountain in the distance, seeing a large explosion as it clipped the top of the mountain.

Sera had to stop watching at that point, jumping to the side to avoid a fireball. It was large and condensed, melting the snow all around as it impacted the ground and spread flames across the rocky floor. She looked up to see the monsters that had Naoko so worried.

They looked like dragons, each of them covered in spikes and were flying around the wreckage of the second shuttle. There were three of the beasts; one of them was red, one was blue, and the third was green. As she watched, she noticed that people were shooting out of the wreckage at the dragons.

The red one spit out more fireballs while hovering over the wreckage, and Tatsumi's yell of "C'mon! We need to take care of these things to search the wreckage!" snapped her out of her daze. She lifted her gun and took aim, firing at the monsters with sniper shots.

Her gunfire was bolstered with several God Arcs opening fire at the same time, and two of the beasts pulled off to fly around the mountain. The green one, however, landed - roaring defiance at the humans - and charged right into their group.

"Is it suicidal?!" Sera exclaimed, rolling to the side to avoid its teeth. She was thrown backward in a surprised heap when the beast stopped, hopping backward into the air and shooting a fireball at her. It missed, but the explosive shockwave threw her to the ground.

She stood up, but ducked immediately again when the blue one flew downward from the side to snatch up one of the God Eaters in its claws. He screamed as it flew up again, throwing him a good distance away and circling the clearing again, like a hawk.

Tatsumi pointed at a young God Eater, yelling "Go check on Dan! Sera, help me cover them!" as he rushed to the fallen God Eater, his sword flashing as the red one tried to swoop on the group.

It recoiled in pain, its foot bleeding as Tatsumi slashed it, and flew a fair distance away before landing. Facing the group, it roared like the green one and shot a fireball that narrowly missed everyone.

Sera ran with the unknown teen and Tatsumi, rushing to help Dan. The green one was closing in on him, but he was firing his gun God Arc from his position on the ground. Sera fired into the beast's wing, managing to rip the webbing and cause it to fall in a heap on the ground.

Tatsumi and Sera took positions while the teen checked Dan, saying "Broken leg. We don't have any supplies, medicine, or anything!"

Dan forced a grin on his face and patted the teen's shoulder, saying "Relax, Ken, I'll be fine. I've been hit by worse."

Sera counted the remaining God Eaters; there were two laying on the ground, unconscious, and three others besides Sera and her group that were fighting.

The green monster couldn't fly, but it was firing fireballs from its prone position. The red and blue beasts were still flying around like vultures, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Sera yelled a battle cry, changing to her rarely-used blade and charging toward the green one. It roared at her, showing rows of sharp teeth.

She jumped over a fireball aimed at her, slashing downward at its face. It took a few steps backward before quickly dashing forward and making a backflip with its tail.

She rolled to the left to dodge the spiked tail, yelling to Tatsumi "Get Dan to the ship! I'll hold off this one!" as she engaged her shield to block a fireball shot from the aerial blue beast from her side.

She threw the only flash bomb she had on her, getting lucky and blinding both of them at the same time. She glanced at the other three God Eaters, grinning with relief when she saw that they had grouped up and were starting to push the red one back.

She focused on the green monster, determined to reduce the number of enemies by at least one. Running forward, her short blade was a blur as she slashed into the skin of the dragon, making it cry out in pain.

Her leg was burned by a fireball that the blue one spat out, and she was unable to dodge as the green one made another backflip, hitting her directly in the chest. She was thrown into the air, landing several feet away.

She tried to get up, but her limbs wouldn't cooperate. She felt extremely sleepy, and knew something was wrong with her body. _Poison? Nervous shock? Broken bones?_ Sera was worried about the possibilities, and managed to partially prop her torso up.

As the other three killed the red beast, turning to fire at the last beasts, Sera closed her eyes and lowered her head, completely drained of energy and unable to evade the series of fireballs that were shot at her.

She collapsed, bracing as best as she could for the fireballs that would kill her. . .

Seconds passed, however, and she could still hear the enraged roars of the two beasts. She could also hear . . . several people shouting?

_Reinforcements from . . . the damaged shuttle?_ Her mind was foggy as someone grabbed her shoulders and dragged her away from the fighting. She opened her blurry eyes and saw the fight from her upturned position.

There were several unknown people fighting the beasts, all wearing odd clothing; they all had different forms of the red dragon's shell covering their bodies, as well as different styled weaponry that Sera couldn't recognize.

Her body stopped moving just as she heard a female voice close to her say "This one looks like she was hit by Rathian's tail. Someone get me an antidote, quickly!" By this point, her thoughts were scattered, not remembering where she was or what she was doing before anymore.

She felt a bottle pressed to her lips, as well as a man saying "Drink. You will feel better in a few minutes." The liquid splashed into her mouth, and she coughed from the bitter-tasting liquid. Her body, however, started to feel much better seconds after drinking.

Her eyes, now starting to focus again, made out the figures of a man and a girl next to her.

The girl looked younger than her and wore thick white fur on her body. The man had on an odd orange scaled armor with blue chainmail underneath.

The girl asked "Are you feeling better? Can you speak?" Her face showed worry, and Sera nodded, clearing her throat.

She croaked out "Where . . . am I? What happened to . . . those monsters?" She vaguely remembered . . . three beasts? Her mind was so scattered, the moment felt surreal and dream-like.

The man, who was holding a large bow in his hands and facing away from her, said "The Rathalos and Rathian are dead now, and the Azure Rathalos has just fled the area. You are lucky we were hunting in the area, otherwise you'd be meeting your gods by now."

Her head was still foggy, but now she could think clearly enough to ask "What about the others? Are they alright?"

She tried sitting up, worry for her friends overpowering her pain, but she was gently pushed back onto the soft snow by the girl as she said "Most of them are fine. Rest now; you'll feel better in no time at all."

She couldn't deny the fact that she was tired, so she placed her head down into the soft snow, falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

When she awoke, she found herself lying in a bed with sunlight shining in her eyes. She sat up, trying to remember where she was and why she didn't recognize the furry coat and pants on her.

It clicked together slowly, and her eyes narrowed in worry. _Where are the others? Where am I? Am I safe?"_ She figured she was safe, since she was given warm clothing instead of her thin shirt and pants.

She looked around the room she was in, noticing several rooms branching off as well as a few other beds near hers. She saw Dan, the one with the broken leg, sleeping in the bed next to hers. All of the others were empty, however, and she could hear talking in one of the adjacent rooms.

She stood up, stumbling at first because her legs were unsteady, and slowly walked toward the door of the house. Opening the door, she was blinded by the bright sunlight reflected off the snow covering the ground.

She walked out, pulling her coat closer to her as she looked around. It looked like a town of some sort, with people walking around a snowy mountainside.

There were less people here than in the shuttle she came in on, but every single adult and teenager wore armor like the man from before, and each one had lean bodies, as if they had to train frequently.

She spotted the girl from before talking to a middle-aged man behind a counter, and slowly walked down the sloping path, careful not to slip.

She reached the girl, saying "I never got to thank you from before," after making the girl aware of her presence. She shook her head, saying "I'm always glad to help other people who need it. Makes me more friends than enemies," she added with a small smile.

Sera nodded, still a little tired, and said "My name is Sera, what's yours?" The girl told her "My name is Alice. I'm still training to be a hunter, though I'm getting better. I've never seen your weaponry before, where are you from?" she curiously asked.

Sera quietly said "It doesn't really matter where I'm from now, since it was destroyed by monsters." Alice gasped, before saying "A town destroyed by monsters? We need to tell the village chief quickly!"

Sera was bewildered as she was dragged along, thinking _Village chief? Destroyed town? Hunter? Where the hell am I?_

When they reached the area, a small hut further down the mountain, Alice called out "Elder, we have urgent news!" A small, hunched lady was sitting by the house talking with another person, and as Sera got closer she could see that the person was Naoko.

"Naoko!" Sera called, overjoyed to see her close friend alive. Naoko turned toward Sera after hearing her, revealing that the left side of her face was bandaged completely. When Sera reached the two, Naoko told her "Shrapnel from an explosion hit my face. Nothing too bad; I'll be fine in a few days."

The elder, an old woman that seemed to be in charge of the village, said "Yes, Alice, I've heard from Naoko. I will handle it from here, but thank you for bringing the second person here." Alice nodded, and then told Sera "Take care," before walking back up the mountain.

The elder looked at Sera and said "Naoko here tells me you're from another planet. Has she hit her head too hard, or is she truthful?" Sera hesitantly nodded, then said "It is destroyed now, though. We lost a war that our superiors started, and beasts far worse than the ones we fought before took over."

The elder nodded in understanding, saying "Okay, so you have nowhere else to go?" Both Naoko and Sera nodded sadly, and the elder smiled while saying "Then you won't complain if we give you a temporary home?"

Sera's eyes widened in surprise and gratitude. _A new home, so soon after meeting these people?_ It seemed too good to be true.

The elder continued on "When you recover, we will allow you to stay here if you aid our hunters in their everyday tasks; hunting, building, repairing, and so on. It won't be easy, but I reckon it's much better than traversing the mountains or the nearby desert without rest, yes?"

Both of the girls nodded, excited, and she said "Good answer. I like you two youngsters!" before laughing. After she was done, she asked "Would you like me to contact the nearby villages, see if they found any stragglers as well?"

Naoko said "Yes, please! One of our good friends was in a ship that fell near a mountain. It looked like it was the border between a snowy mountain area and a forest area, if that helps."

The elder made a humming sound, saying "that sounds like the area around Schrade. I'll send a messenger shortly, but for now you two should rest. There's lots of work to be done, so you need to be in tip-top shape!"

* * *

As the two girls traveled back up the mountain, toward the room Sera woke up in, Naoko said "I'm sorry about revealing Terra. It sorta slipped out, and I couldn't lie about it . . ."

Sera shook her head, telling her "It's better that she learned it now, rather than learn about the lie later. This might make things easier in the long run."

Sera stretched her arms, feeling tired again. "For now, I'm going to get some more sleep. I have no idea what's wrong with my body, but I can't move another step!"

Naoko nodded, saying "the only reason I was up now was to talk to the elder. It's been about a day since we crashed, and everyone is wounded in some way."

Sera and Naoko reached the house, saying their farewells as Naoko headed slightly lower on the mountain village. Sera stumbled into the house and flopped on her designated bed, closing her eyes and trying to fall asleep.

_Maybe I'm just weak, tired, and hungry. I'll feel better with another night's sleep,_ she thought, drifting away.

* * *

A/N: This chapter began around the same time period that Arashi and co. landed, but ended after their mission to kill the Rathalos/Rathian pack.

Any God Eaters or otherwise important people/OCs that I haven't mentioned yet are in different places as of now. Hope this clears up some confusion.

Cheers~


	6. Sight For Sore Eyes

This chapter takes place while Sera is sleeping in Pokke village, so you don't get confused.

To answer a question by Ganganto, this starts off as Unite-centric, but will expand into Frontier and Tri far later in the story (I love the designs for Tri and Frontier, but I haven't played any games farther than Unite…)

Enjoy~

* * *

Arashi, Soma, Kanon, and Sakuya headed off to a hilled area that looked peaceful and sunny. Though they had crashed near a snowy mountain and landed in a barren rocky area, this area was a mix of hills, mountains, and plains.

The grass was green and healthy, and there were strange creatures that were ignoring the humans, preferring to feed on the grass at their feet. They looked like dinosaurs from prehistoric Terra with gray hide, blunt horns on their heads, and tails with dull spikes on it.

Though they mostly ignored the group, Arashi noticed that they shied away when the group moved close to them. He saw smaller versions of the dinosaurs hiding under the bigger ones, gazing at the humans as they hid. Arashi stayed as non-threatening as he could while they walked up a hill, not wanting to provoke the unknown creatures somehow.

He relaxed when they reached the top of the hill, only to tense again when he heard a kind of high pitched screech nearby. Kanon quietly warned "Over there, on the cliff side. They look predatory . . ." while aiming her new bone cannon in the direction she called out.

Arashi looked upward, seeing several small raptor-like creatures. They had blue scaled hide, elongated jaws, and stood on their hind legs to caw threateningly. They had sharp teeth and claws, but Arashi didn't think their thin bodies would be able to endure very much punishment.

He drew his blade, the purple crystal in the center glowing slightly in the sunlight. Soma backed up, not wanting to open his wound before they got to the Rathalos nest. Sakuya drew her gun lance, holding the weapon in one hand and her large shield in the other.

All at once, five of the blue raptors jumped from their perch above them, aiming to try and kill them. Arashi stabbed upward, skewering one of the beasts on his blade and swinging downward to knock it off of his blade.

Kanon shot several lethal-looking pellet clusters from her gun, thankfully aimed away from the group as each cluster exploded into dozens of small pellets that pierced two of the raptors in multiple places, killing them quickly.

Sakuya stabbed forward with her bayonet engaged, nailing one in the head as it lunged at her. Its corpse collided with her, however, knocking her to the ground. The final raptor lunged for her pinned body, but was knocked away when Soma dashed forward to punt it in midair.

It tumbled down the hill several feet away, getting up slowly and crouching in fear before dashing down the slope the group had just come from.

Soma helped Sakuya up, accepting her shaky "Thanks" with a nod. Arashi chuckled, saying "Well, that wasn't too hard. Let's hope it stays that way." Without further ado, they continued onward, skirting the cliff edge and walking higher and higher along the side.

Arashi decided to look around at his surroundings, wanting to learn the area while they travelled up the mountain toward the nest they had been told to find.

He had the misfortune of looking downward and underestimating exactly _how high up they were._

Down below - far enough to make him dizzy - was a set of hills with grass, a river running through it, and more of the odd gray dinosaurs. Arashi began hyperventilating from the sight of the ground far below them, backing up until he was as far as he could get from the edge. Leaning against the rock wall, he slid downward to rest on the grass and catch his breath again.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and a reassuring voice told him "Don't look down. Imagine you're on flat land." He looked to see Sakuya, a worried look on her face. _I guess everyone knew about my fear of heights,_ he inwardly winced before nodding to show acknowledgement.

They hurried onward, Arashi only focusing on the ground in front of him until he ran into Sakuya's back when she stopped suddenly. Kanon, whom was leading the group upward, whispered "Woah . . . This is incredible!"

Arashi walked forward, seeing the vast landscape below him again. His fear was forgotten by sheer awe as he gazed upon the lush valleys, the forests, the mountains, and all the wildlife below and around them. There were birds, and more dinosaurs of all kinds, rivers that looked crystal clear . . .

There was nothing like this on Terra, and it looked like it came straight out of one of the fairy tales told to young children back on Terra. It seemed too perfect to be real.

Soma announced "We can gawk later; I see trouble incoming." Arashi tore his gaze from the scenery to look at where Soma was pointing, his other hand gripping the handle of the large jaw blade on his back as he crouched slightly.

Arashi heard the sound of flapping wings at that point, and drew his long sword when he glanced up to see the shell of a green dragon gliding down. It looked almost exactly the same as the red one, but it was slightly smaller with the spikes on its tail and wings more pronounced. It roared exactly like the Rathalos, landing before puffing its chest and flapping its wings for another roar.

Arashi ordered "Soma, stay out of the thick of the fighting and pick your moments. Sakuya, focus on protecting Kanon. Kanon, for the love of everything, try not to hit me. I'll be the front line attacker. Go!" before dashing in, his sword at the ready.

Soma kept his hand on the handle of his blade, but he didn't draw the massive weapon. Instead, he backed away with his legs prepared to roll in evasion at any time.

Kanon held her gun forward, firing a blast of pellets before Arashi got in her way. Sakuya stayed near Kanon, her shield held protectively in front of her as she stood beside Kanon, ready to block an attack.

The green dragon spat out a fireball that flew straight at Arashi. He stopped running to roll to the right, but was startled when it continued spitting out two extra fireballs to the left and right. The last fireball was shot directly toward him, impacting against the ground and burning his arm a little.

He rolled from the impact, getting up as the beast turned toward Soma and charged directly at him with its mouth wide open. Soma waited until the last moment before crouching and drawing his massive blade, angling it upward to slice into its thigh as the dragon missed him completely.

It roared in pain before twisting its body, catching Soma on his uninjured side and throwing him several feet to the side. He clutched his side, groaning in pain as he slowly got back up.

The dragon scratched the ground with its two legs, snorting smoke like an angry bull from Kota's favorite show. It growled deeply, long and threatening, before charging toward the winded Soma. It crouched lower as it charged, stopping abruptly in front of him and spinning to try and hit Soma again.

Sakuya, seeing the threat in time, charged toward Soma and slid in between the dragon and him, shield at the ready as it twisted and threw Sakuya back. Arashi dashed in, yelling to Kanon "Hold your fire, you can't guarantee a clear shot right now!" as he held his blade out.

Sakuya was doing fairly well with a melee weapon; she ducked and guarded sensibly, knowing when to back off and when to press her attack. Arashi turned to help Soma instead, seeing him apply one of the green potions to both of his sides.

"C'mon, Soma, can you still fight?" Arashi asked, lending him a shoulder and helping him up. Soma panted, telling him "A few minutes rest will do me a lot of good. Think you can manage?"

They were both distracted at the sound of a large explosion and turned to see Sakuya falling onto her backside with her weapon smoking heavily, as well as the dragon falling backward with half its face blown off. Arashi muttered in shock "Yeah, I think we can manage for a bit."

Soma sat on the ground while Arashi went to check on Sakuya. She had minor scrapes and scuffs, but her eyes were bright and she had an exultant grin on her face as she stared at the fallen dragon. It was badly burned, its scales torched, and it settled into permanent stillness within seconds of being hit by . . . whatever it was that Sakuya did.

Sakuya, giddy with excitement, said "Zhar showed me something called Wyvern Fire. That was so cool!" Arashi, amazed at Sakuya's completely off-character attitude, started laughing. Quietly at first, but rapidly building louder.

After his laughing fit, he patted Sakuya's back roughly and said "You should've been a blade-type back on Terra. Something tells me you would've enjoyed close combat much more than sniping from a distance." She slowly nodded, as if in a daze, and her smile dimmed down a bit.

"I wish-" she began, but was interrupted by Kanon yelling "Oh shit, I completely forgot! We were sent to take out a _nest_ of these things!" Arashi's face fell. _There's more? Ah, hell._ "Alright then, the job is still on. We've tackled rougher odds before, so let's get it together. Soma, you rested?" Arashi questioned.

Soma nodded, getting up from his spot in the grass. Even though only a few minutes had passed, his face looked less pale and he moved with less pain evident in his motions. Soma was right; he had only needed a few minutes.

Arashi nodded, turning to Sakuya and saying "You're technically the highest rank here; what do you think we should do?" She shook her head before he had even finished speaking, telling him "You're in charge, you make the call."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, irritated that she was shoving all the responsibility on him. _Then again,_ he thought, _she might still be grieving over Lindow. Maybe she doubts her leading abilities still. _Not a good excuse, but he would have to deal with it for now.

"We made the village a promise, so we'll continue on. I'm not a fan of breaking my word," he declared, pulling out something the village elder called a whetstone and crouching on the floor. As he smoothed out the rough edges on his blade with the rock, he saw Kanon loading shells into her weapon and Sakuya changing the bandages on Soma's waist.

He finished sharpening his weapon just in time to hear a loud roar from the sky. He searched the sky, seeing a large blue dragon flying straight toward the group. It looked wounded – its face and one of its legs were badly damaged – and flaming smoke flared from its mouth as it descended.

Kanon yelled "Incoming!" as she leveled the massive gun and fired her cannon. Something similar to a miniature missile shot from her gun, impacting against the dragon's wing and making a disappointing puff of fire.

Before he had time to be disappointed, however, the small puff turned into three massive explosions that ripped the webbing of that wing apart and forced the dragon to fall to the ground, unsteadied and unbalanced. Kanon announced "Cluster shot. It has delayed explosives. Go kill it already!"

Arashi dashed in, thrusting forward with his long weapon and skewering part of the shell. Slashing upward to free his blade, he continued slashing the dragon's belly with large slashes of the long blade.

The dragon threw him several feet back by slamming its damaged wing into his stomach, standing on shaky feet and growling weakly. It started to limp away, clearly not wanting to fight anymore and showing no aggression toward the group. Sakuya glanced at Arashi, waiting for his order.

This situation was similar to the Aragami, in that it fled, but this felt . . . worse, somehow. Arashi was fine with killing things proven to be completely unnatural, especially if it threatened those he cared about.

Arashi saw the blood dripping from the beast, saw exactly how hurt it was, and saw that it clearly wanted nothing more to do with the fight. To kill it now . . . it felt like he was executing something, not protecting himself.

He shook his head, saying "We'll follow it; it can't fly, but we can make sure it isn't setting up an ambush or something." He doubted that was the case, but he couldn't assume anything after only being on this planet for less than a day.

The group let the dragon get a head start, and then followed the trail of blood to a small mountainous formation beyond some grassy plains. There was a series of ledges leading up to a hole in the mountain, and the dragon weakly glided over the large rocky area to some place beyond it.

Arashi glanced at the team, saying "Kanon, you're with me. Sakuya and Soma, stay here and wait." Everyone nodded, though Soma looked irritated. Arashi nodded to Kanon, and they both climbed up the ledges and crawled into the hole in the mountainside.

It was a steep fall, leading deeper into the ground than Arashi would've guessed. He stood at the top, finding small chips in the rock that could be used as foot and handholds. He whispered "Follow my lead, but slowly," as he back himself over the edge and grabbed the wall, refusing to look down and keeping an eye on Kanon the entire time.

Sooner than he expected, his feet reached the ground. Arashi let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and looked around as Kanon was reaching the ground. It was a warm cave lined with brittle bones and dirt. As he looked closer in the dim light, he saw outlines of lumps against a cliff wall, oval and misshapen near the tops.

A weak roar resounded through the cave, alerting Arashi to the dragon's presence.

He pulled Kanon to the ground, quieting her squeak of surprise with his hand over her mouth. They both laid down on the ground, silent and still as they saw the blue dragon from before walk in through a side tunnel that was missed by Arashi. It held one of the large gray dinosaurs in its mouth, and it walked toward the lumps that Arashi spotted.

One of the lumps moved, showing a small brownish pink head similar to the dragon's head, only unarmored. The other two lumps did the same, and high pitched chirping noises were accompanied by a sort of growl from the blue dragon. Arashi looked at Kanon, both sharing a look of shock.

_It had babies . . ?_

They turned back to watch as the adult tore the dinosaur into pieces, feeding each one similarly to a bird feeding its chicks. Arashi shook his head, knowing he couldn't kill it with this new information. Kanon surprised him, though.

She placed down her large cannon and, with both arms out and free, slowly walked toward the dragon. Arashi harshly whispered "Are you crazy?! Going out unarmed near a parent monster that we just hurt, next to its babies?!" Kanon calmly whispered "I know what I'm doing," as she continued walking.

The dragon spotted her, wearily standing up and walking in front of the babies, growling protectively. It was obviously in pain, but it put up a facade of intimidation.

Kanon started talking calmly, like she was trying to . . . well, trying to calm a spooked animal. Arashi was too far away to hear the hushed murmurs, but he could see the dragon hold its place, not attacking her but not letting the growl slowly die down.

_She's absolutely insane . . ._ Arashi thought as he realized her intentions, seeing her pull a small satchel from her pocket. It was a medical bag.

She stopped, feet away from the dragon, not flinching as it growled continuously. The beast ceased its growling when she stopped, but its eyes still blazed with anger and defensiveness. She spoke again, Arashi making out the words ". . . can help . . ." as she held out the items in her hands.

The next few moments were so bizarre, Arashi thought he had been unconscious and was imagining the entire thing.

The dragon tilted its head slightly, like a confused dog would, and leaned forward to sniff the potions and bandages. Kanon let it, and moved toward its belly and injured leg when the dragon huffed and let its wings down from their protective stance in front of the hatchlings.

She cleaned the scratches and gouges, releasing a growl of suspicion from the dragon when she rubbed the potion into the wounds. She paused until it settled down, and then wrapped the leg in the bandages she held. Not once did the dragon snap at her or attack her.

When she was done, she held her hands in view once more and backed away slowly. The dragon wasn't growling anymore, laying down next to the hatchlings and watching her with guarded eyes. As soon as she reached Arashi again, they both headed back to the wall.

". . .Did that really happen, or am I laying in a ditch somewhere on the bottom of the mountain?" Arashi eventually muttered while they were climbing back up. Kanon was silent for a few seconds, saying "I'm a healer. Seeing it wounded while it had babies to take care of just . . . hit a nerve, I guess."

Arashi shook his head, muttering "Unbelieveable. You really do have insanely good luck . . . Either that, or the last of your common sense was killed off in the crash." _She could have easily – **easily** – been eaten, or turned into a human torch, or been crushed . . ._

Kanon grunted, saying "Well, the creatures here already proved themselves to be capable of intelligence. That one retreated when it was badly injured, but not to the point where it wouldn't be able to hunt for food for its hatchlings. I think the others in its pack have been killed off or prevented from returning, which is why all of those bones littered the ground. Either the cave is a frequent nesting place of several different creatures, or there was a large group of dragons that needed a lot of food."

When they got to the top, she slightly grimaced as she said "Yeah, it was a gamble, but I'd like to think it was a calculated risk. I'm fairly certain it's smart enough to know where its priorities should lie, just as I thought it wouldn't deny help from something that wouldn't even try to harm it at its weakest near its defenseless babies."

Arashi shook his head, waving at Soma and Sakuya below, and told Kanon "I can see why Kama was attracted to you. You really are one of a kind," as they headed down. Kanon hid an embarrassed blush as they met up. Unfortunately for Kanon, she wasn't quite subtle at that.

"Something interesting happen in that dark spooky cave?" Sakuya asked, an eyebrow raised and the beginnings of a grin appearing on her face. Arashi cut her off, announcing "Nope. Mission complete, let's go home."

He had no time to waste – he still had to find the rest of the survivors, and he was exhausted beyond normal from the day. Every scratch, every pulled muscle, and every torn tendon seemed to simultaneously demand his attention at the same time, and he wanted to get back to the village and rest.

* * *

A/N: That last bit in the cave was actually inspired almost entirely by another fanfic I absolutely love in the Monster Hunter-verse: "Sky Kings", by Lady Darkness Diamond. It was exactly the push I needed to steer this fanfic the way I want it to go. Sky Kings will certainly influence key parts as the story advances, so look forward to it!

As of now, I am pretty much neck deep in issues I need to solve. Updates are still coming - some may be faster than others depending on how much free time I get between work, school, and staving off the possibly-inevitable military signup.

Thanks to those who continue to read and comment on my writing. Really brings a smile to my face to see some of the nice things people have to say, especially after having a bad day.

Cheers~


	7. Wheels Begin Turning

Alright, got myself a Beta who helped smooth out a few of the rough edges here. Thanks, patty1234554321, you're an awesome help xD

* * *

Soma awoke in an uncomfortably hot area with five random civilians and a snoring Brendan Bardell. Soma winced from the chainsaw-like sounds coming from the God Eater, propping himself up and shaking his head to clear the fog out of his mind.

He scowled, wondering why everyone decided to sleep in his room, and walked toward the odd flaps that were in the place his door should be.

He blinked stupidly after pushing through the flap, standing outside in the sunlight and seeing the desert and forest of the Kokoto area. He narrowed his eyes, bits and pieces of the previous day coming back slowly.

When the group had gotten back from slaying the dragons – the green one was Rathian, the red one from before was Rathalos, and the blue was an Azure Rathalos, they were told -, Kanon and Sakuya headed to the tents that were to be used as temporary homes while extra houses were built in the village itself. They both fell asleep within minutes of their heads hitting their pillows.

Arashi, though he had looked just as tired as the girls, made his rounds and checked that everything and everyone was in order before heading to his tent. Soma had been tired at the time as well, so he had flopped into his small bed and slept for several hours without even checking who was in the tent with him.

He crawled back into the tent, taking off his coat and changing into a pair of blue shorts that were sewn the day before by a grateful native. Still wearing his old yellow shirt, he crawled back out of the tent and headed toward the village plaza.

His sides had been healed by the oracle cells in his body while he slept, and he could finally stretch his arms without feeling pain. He walked along the dusty paths, seeing the villagers moving about even in the heat of the day.

The villagers acted similarly to the civilians back in the Outer Ghetto; there was a small marketplace, where people were trading materials and food. _Seems trading is the main currency around here,_ Soma thought to himself, watching people trade unknown items instead of paying money.

Loud cries of joy were the only warning Soma got before toppling over, three small children crashing into him. The oldest of them, a boy who couldn't have been older than 8 years old, asked with wide eyes "How did you get rid of the Rathalos? Was it scary? Why are you unharmed?"

The questions were rapid and abrupt, some of which far too mature considering their age – "Where's your really bad ouchie?" was a question asked by the youngest, whom was barely old enough to talk – and Soma tried to keep their ages in mind when he gave his awkward answers.

He was saved when a woman's voice called out to the children irritatedly. "What do you three think you're doing? Go play in the field, and leave the hunter in peace!" The kids lost their enthusiasm and left to play elsewhere.

Soma turned to see the teenage girl from the day before standing nearby, lending him a hand to help him to his feet. He accepted the help and stood, saying "Thanks for that. Not really good with kids," he added with an embarrassed grimace.

The girl shook her head, smiling as she said "No problems. Kaya and his friends have always been troublemakers. I'm Alara, by the way," she added, extending her hand to offer a handshake.

Soma paused for a moment, smiling slightly as he shook her hand. "I'm Soma." The day before, she looked fierce with armor similar to the scales from a Kut ku, as well as a large crossbow weapon in her arms and a helmet that hid the top half of her head.

Now, Soma could see her features clearly. She had golden eyes similar to Ketsu's, as well as a dark brown ponytail that reached to the back of her neck. Her tanned skin was marked with tiny scars; evidence of a life of hardship.

Her smile was contagious, and Soma had to turn away to hide the one growing on his face. _There's something about her . . ._

He was startled as he felt hands on his waist, where the bandages were. He twisted quickly, his face showing some form of shock as he saw Alara with her hand on the bandage. "What-" he started to ask, before she interrupted with "Where is your wound? It should've taken at least a week to heal, even with the best medical supplies."

She glanced up at him in curiosity, and Soma saw that under his bandage was a large scar that shined with fresh skin. His eyes widened, though for a different reason than Alara. _That's never happened before . . ._

"I'm . . . not too sure, myself. I've always been a fast healer," he quickly improvised, worried about what the scar could mean. Alara hummed in thought, before nodding and standing upright again. She asked "Hey, want to have a tour of the village? It seems like you guys might be here for a while, so you might as well learn the area."

Soma nodded, telling her "Thanks, but it will have to wait. I have to make sure my friends are all right." Arashi, Kanon, and Sakuya looked pretty beat, so it might be a good idea to check on them. Plus, his arms were very sore. _Probably just overworked myself yesterday. Won't have been the first time,_ Soma mused.

* * *

He waved farewell before walking toward Arashi's tent first. He was nearly there before seeing Arashi's head poke out of the flap, gawking in confusion at the strange landscape. He must've remembered what happened, because his facial expression quickly straightened out.

He stared up at Soma, asking in a croaky voice "How are you right now?" He paused, then added "How are you standing without every single muscle aching like mine?" Soma raised an eyebrow, telling him "Well, my arms hurt right now. That's about it, though. What do you mean your muscles hurt?"

Arashi rolled over, his face turned upward, and groaned out "it feels like my arms and legs are being cut to pieces and stitched back all wrong!" Soma sighed, saying "You've been working hard. Take a few days off, and I'll get everything set up."

Arashi's head withdrew back into the tent as he said "I would normally smack you for suggesting that, but I'm in too much pain to argue. Thanks, Soma." Soma scoffed, leaving the tent. He yelled over his shoulder "Not like you would have the guts to hit me!" before heading to the tent Kanon and Sakuya slept in.

He stood outside, calling "Knock knock, girls, are you awake?" without entering the tent. He had been on the receiving end of several punches for barging into a girl's room while they were changing. Specifically: Kinaia and Sakuya. _It wasn't __**my**__ fault that they didn't answer when I knocked . . ._

Sakuya's voice, groggy and muffled, said "Go away, Soma, Hibari gave me the day off today . . ." Soma chuckled darkly, a stress mark appearing on his forehead as he grabbed the flap and opened it wide to let sunlight cascade into the tent.

Sakuya, louder now that there was no cloth blocking her voice, almost yelled "Damnit, Soma, close the . . . door . . ." she trailed off, spotting the desert beyond Soma's form. The others in the tent – Kanon, Annette Koenig, and a few civilians – looked out as well.

Soma mockingly announced "Glad you could come back to reality. Oh, and Sakuya," he added with a slight glare, crossing his arms in an indignant posture, "Somehow, I always knew that Hibari never gave you all those free days. Call it a hunch."

He turned around, feigning a bad mood to hide a humored grin as Sakuya spluttered in embarrassment, trying to regain her lost composure.

Soma, with his back still turned, told them "Do you think you can get up, or do you need another day like Arashi?" He was answered with temporary silence until Kanon announced "I can get up, but the others are too sore. Give me a few minutes, I'll meet you by the elder's house."

Soma acknowledged her before leaving, seeking out Alara. Maybe Kanon could join them, and they would be able to help the others. Anything was helpful at this point, no matter how little the information was.

His scar – his _first_ scar – came back to his mind. It was so blatantly obvious that something was wrong to Soma, and yet he couldn't figure out what happened.

Oracle cells healed all traces of damage. There were no 'healing scars' when oracle cells were done with their job.

He shook his head, letting the thought drift to the back of his mind as he saw Alara standing by a watering well. He waved to her, getting her attention as he walked toward her. _I'll see if Arashi is feeling better later tonight. Maybe he's just sore from getting knocked around._

Maybe . . . he had nothing to worry about. He didn't believe in his own feeble denial, though.

That thought was forced to the back of his mind as well, preferring to be led around the town with Alara and a very groggy and unkempt Kanon. It was midday, but Soma still wanted to get as much done as he could.

* * *

Arashi found himself in his cot, the sky dim as the sun started to set in the horizon. He remembered Soma popping his head in a few times during the day to check on him, but he felt like hell.

His body felt like it was rebelling against him; every cell seemed to urge him to do something for it, and he didn't know what. It wasn't quite painful - more like unbelievably uncomfortable, as if he had a major case of stomach cramps and numbness at the same time.

He writhed around in his cot, unable to stay still and go back to sleep. He groaned out loud.

"Fuck it, if I can't sleep, then I can't sleep," he muttered as he rose slowly. It only seemed to make the sensation upgrade from worms crawling in his skin to sparks dancing along his nerves.

He glanced over to Brendan, seeing the slim man with a pained expression on his face as he slept. _Damn, that man can sleep through anything,_ he wryly thought as he struggled into a fresh pair of new pants and a new shirt – both sewn the day before, according to Soma.

He stood up - ignoring the protest his legs made - and slowly meandered out of the tent. The cool breeze felt good on his skin, and he took a deep breath to settle his abruptly queasy stomach. He headed into the marketplace of Kokoto, trying to walk off the sudden sickness.

He spotted a few Terran refugees walking around the town, a few of which having weapons that they constantly examined. The weapons seemed to be small and unremarkable, but the refugees looked at them with various expressions of pride and determination.

Arashi spotted who he was looking for – the abnormally long braid gave him away – sitting next to a house with a few children and walked toward him, calling out to get his attention.

The boy, whom Arashi thought was called Ketsu, turned with surprise – which rapidly turned into relief – and greeted Arashi. "You look like you've had a bad night. Anything I could do to help?" Ketsu asked worriedly.

Arashi shook his head automatically, pausing for a second to think. He corrected himself by asking "Do you, maybe, have some medicine for aches and sore muscles?" He winced; his voice sounded rough and scratchy! What on earth was wrong with his body?

Ketsu nodded, waving him inside the hut after telling the children "I'll play with you lot later, but right now I need to help him. Go find Alara, I'm sure she would want to play with you." Arashi followed him, surprised at his hospitality.

His home was moderately furnished; there were two chests in the living room, each with an unknown symbol carved onto the top of the chest. There were two doorways leading to other rooms, and he was led by Ketsu into one of them.

The room was surprisingly furnished, considering the lifestyle these villagers seemed to live. One side of his room had two bookcases jammed from top to bottom with books. At the foot of his bed was a thick journal, and on the wall opposite of the bookcases was a hand-carved wooden desk covered in papers and half-filled books.

Ketsu exited the room again, digging through the chest on the left while saying "Make yourself at home while I find the ingredients stashed somewhere in here." Arashi acknowledged and thanked him before looking closer at the papers on the desk with curiosity.

There were various notes, all of which written in a language that Arashi understood. It looked like records of some kind, detailing many different things on each sheet. There was a small picture attached to each set of pages, and Arashi picked one up to examine it.

'Kelbi Ecology' was the title of the one he grabbed. The pictures he saw were actually realistic illustrations of various creatures. The monster called Kelbi looked like a deer with small horns on its head, a gray spotted pelt, and agile limbs. It was drawn eating a piece of sketched grass, and it looked very serene.

As Ketsu walked back in with a few bottles in his hand, Arashi put the paper down, saying "Your record keeping is extraordinary. Did you draw and write all of these by yourself?" Ketsu paused in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face as he stared at Arashi.

He slowly relaxed and continued walking in the room, looking wary as he placed the corked glass bottles on an uncovered corner of the desk. He kept his back turned, quietly muttering ". . . My sister did the drawings." He took a subtle breath before turning around, an embarrassed flush on his neck.

"I've . . . always had a fascination with learning about monsters. Habits, mating periods, food preferences . . . Things that would help me understand how they live, rather than how to kill them easier."

He lowered his head, murmuring "I've been called odd by my peers and superiors for not following tradition. I'm a hunter in a starving village, not a scholar for a high class town."

He sighed, saying "It will be several years before the next generation of hunters are ready to begin training, so I have to put my dream on hold for the village's sake."

Arashi was silent as Ketsu stared off into the distance while mixing the different liquids. Even though he wasn't looking at what he was doing, his hands moved through reflex and muscle memory as he mixed the various berries and liquids in a pestle, grinding them and adding water to make a strong scented medicine of some kind.

Ketsu sighed, looking back toward Arashi with a sad smile and giving him the small bowl of liquid. It was clear with an amber hue, and it smelled sweet and bitter. "Drink it slowly, a mouthful at a time. Give it time to flow through your body completely," he told him.

Arashi leaned his back against the wall, taking small sips of the fragrant liquid. It tasted horrible, but there was an aftertaste that left a warm feeling spreading through his limbs. He took several sips before clearing his throat to talk.

"Well, with us helping out, perhaps you could head out into the world and pursue your dream?" Arashi asked. His voice sounded much smoother and his limbs felt as though they were near a bonfire. His energy was returning quickly, and his sickness had all but disappeared.

Ketsu shrugged, admitting "I honestly wasn't sure you would stay. Even with the extra hunters, they would need to be prepared to fight at any moment. Despite being chased from your planet, how sure are you that they will be prepared to fight in case an invasion occurs, or bandits, or any other enemy?"

Arashi chuckled, taking a few more sips of the rejuvenating medicine before saying "You'd be surprised how prepared we are. Our lifestyle was difficult, and only certain people could fight. That, however, is a long and complicated story for another time."

"Just know that all of our civilians wished they could fight against our enemies, and now they are given that chance. They just had their home forcibly taken from them, and they have lived in fear for decades. I can bet you anything in the world that nearly everyone will eagerly take up arms and defend their new home." Arashi grinned at Ketsu's hopeful expression.

"Well, there are many things to do before we can travel to other locations. It will be a long and arduous journey, considering we are a traditional village with next to no contact with the major cities. As you say, it is a complicated process that should be explained another time," Ketsu told him.

He paused in thought, then added "Not to mention, we have to wait until your civilians are trained, we need supplies for a long journey across several hostile lands, we have to be sure our route isn't blocked . . ." he trailed off, turning to search through the bookcase and pulling out a specific book.

He opened it, thumbing through the pages quickly and flipping the book directly to the page he was looking for. It was an illustrated map of what looked like the surrounding area. The icons were anonymous scribbles to Arashi, but Ketsu traced his fingers across paths that only he could see in his mind.

"If we go this way . . . perhaps we could stop here, hunt in this area . . . the Popo's in this region are well fed year round, so it might be a good idea to restock there . . ." Ketsu muttered to himself, tapping the map with his index finger while thinking.

Arashi announced "I'll go see if there's anything I can do around the village. You take care of the route, I guess?" Ketsu seemed to snap out of his thoughts, glancing at Arashi with a surprised expression. "Sorry, I got too focused on the plans, I kinda forgot you were here . . . "

He cleared his throat in embarrassment, saying "Take a few others on a quest or two; learn the surrounding area, as well as which weapon would be best for you." Ketsu turned back to his map and continued to mutter to himself.

* * *

Arashi nodded even though Ketsu was facing away, heading out of his house and spotting Sakuya talking to Soma. Both seemed irritated, and Sakuya looked like she was sick. He felt much better, and there was still a lot of the medicine left, so he walked over and said "Oi, what's the deal? Sleep badly?"

Sakuya shifted her glare to Arashi and growled out "This asshole woke me up while I had the mother of all headaches, and then continued to wake me up several times." Soma scoffed, telling her "Well, if you would tell me to go away, rather than saying 'I'll be up in a few minutes', then I wouldn't feel the need to be worried about a teammate!"

That kickstarted another bout of yelling, and Arashi had to snap at them to silence their bickering. "Look, Sakuya, take a few sips of this," he held out the bowl, "and you'll feel a lot better in no time. I have to make sure the civilians are alright, so don't kill each other before I get back."

She nodded, a stress mark on her face as she accepted the bowl and took a generous sip. Her face screwed up in disgust, and she forced the liquid down before glaring again. "You could've told me it had a bad taste!" she complained, to which Arashi slightly grinned and replied "But where's the fun in that?"

She shook her head, hiding a small smile of her own as the medicine started working. "Whatever . . . did you need some of this, Soma?" she offered, but he shook his head and said "I'm alright. I worked the strain out of my muscles today with Kanon and Alara."

Arashi raised an eyebrow and made a sly grin, and Sakuya snorted while covering her mouth. Soma looked confused, saying "What's wrong?"

Arashi coughed, then said "We need to work on how you word your sentences, Soma." He thought for a few seconds, his cheeks coloring as he finally got the joke. "S-shut up, you two! Seriously, don't you two have anything better to do than make perverted jokes?!" he exclaimed.

Sakuya started laughing, and Arashi shook his head in mock disappointment while walking off. "Gosh, Soma, you should've said that you found a few cute girls to 'exercise' with earlier," he threw over his shoulder, and ran off to avoid Soma's wrath, laughing the whole while.

* * *

In a house nearby, the elder was watching the trio's interactions with interest. The owner of the home, a middle-aged woman, said "They're a rambunctious lot, all right. Then again, they are young adults, so perhaps they are still a little immature?"

The elderly man shook his head, fondling his long beard with one hand as he gripped his cane in the other. "They are far more mature than they let on. I shudder to think of what they went through in their previous home, to be forcing humor like this."

The woman asked "You seem so sure of yourself, Elder. Why would you think they had a rough life?" He turned to her, murmuring "They have killed many beasts, and have referenced more than once that they have survived far worse. I fear that they will not be able to maintain a calm façade for very long, so I see the random laughter as a pressure gauge."

He turned back to the window, watching the woman holding her stomach while laughing, the somber young man stomping his foot on the ground with a deep red blush on his face, and the apparent leader of the group dashing away like a child playing tag, laughing freely.

He told her "They have survived the destruction of their homes, only to find that their troubles are far from over. They could choose to laugh every now and again, keeping their heads above the darkened sea. Or, they could silence their humor, forcing themselves under the turbulent waves."

He was silent from then on, standing by the window while staring into the distance. He knew these things about the newcomers because he had witnessed them before. He had felt these emotions himself, back before he became the village chief.

The woman behind him interrupted his gloomy thoughts, "I overheard Ketsu saying he wanted to travel along the mountains to go to Pokke Village." Her expression was slightly nervous.

The elder asked "Alone? Or with a group of people?" The woman shook her head, admitting "He didn't specify, but I believe he wanted to leave with Arashi and his comrades."

The elder was silent once more, sighing forlornly. The woman picked up on the tension and asked ". . . Is something wrong?"

He quietly murmured "I miss Lana. I always wonder . . . if I could've done something to save her. Stop her from leaving, show more emotion, just . . . something so she could still be alive."

He sighed once more, leaning on the window and watching the darkness fall on the village as night approached steadily. The woman, his friend since he was an adult and she was a child, knew enough to leave him alone.

"Get some rest soon, Hahn. A night's rest will do you a world of good," she said, leaving a cup of tea on the window sill next to him and heading to her own bed.

* * *

A/N: A bit of angst, but I rather like it. I'd like to think the Ketsu/Arashi moment and the Soma/Sakuya/Arashi moment make it balanced in some way.

I've said this repeatedly to several people in PMs, but I never quite understood how hard a crossover could be until I started writing one. It's slow going, but it's going at least.

As of now, I am hereby declaring Soma's newfound OOC-ness to be IC. I like the socially-awkward-yet-happy Soma, and I might explain why next chapter~

Cheers~


	8. Convoluted Paths

It's been a pretty long time, and I'm afraid update times are going to remain relatively spaced out. However, for the fans who stuck with me, enjoy!

* * *

The night air felt great on Arashi's skin, so he decided to jog toward the rows of tents that housed the Terrans. He slowed his pace as he saw a group of refugees all around one another, and called out "Anything I can help with?"

A few turned to him and waved him over to them. A woman said "We're trying to decide who should be the representative for ex-civilians. We aren't civilians anymore, and the word 'refugee' leaves an ugly taste in my mouth, personally." The woman turned back toward the gathering, and Arashi moved closer to see what they were doing to decide.

There were three men of various ages and statures all sitting on the ground and debating what they should do. As he watched, one of the three hung his head and stood up to stand back in the group.

Two people were left; the first was a large man, heavily built with a closely shaven face. He wore dark green clothing and spoke with a confident tone in his voice as he boldly suggested that the civilians learn all they needed to learn before building a village somewhere else.

The second was a moderately lean man, much younger and wearing a black scarf loosely around his shoulders. He was wearing loose white pants and a long sleeve shirt, and he sat comfortably on the ground while he talked quietly but confidently.

For every separate thing the first man said, the second contradicted it with a reasonable statement. Arashi started listening to the debate, seeing as how there were still several undecided civilians.

" . . . We need to be able to stand up for ourselves! We can help our allies here, but we can't expect them to use their scarce materials to build us homes!" The first man argued.

"If we were to join their village, then they wouldn't need to use their own materials. Now that we have our own weapons and a chance to shape our own future, we can finally help with defense, construction and harvesting! Why go off into unknown areas to build an entire village out of materials that we don't even recognize, let alone know where to find ample supplies?" The second man countered.

Arashi was quiet, but he watched as the second man slowly won the support of the others. After about an hour of listening, the lean man was declared the representative. Arashi announced "Great, so now you all have a leader. What's your name?"

"Sebastian Nile, sir. Seba for short," he answered. Arashi waved his hand, beckoning him to follow as he said "Alright Seba, then we should introduce you to the team. As for the rest of you, I want everyone over the age of 17 to learn how to use a weapon, then train as often as possible so that you know exactly how to use it."

The camp was set into motion, and Arashi led Seba back to the main town. Seba quietly admitted "I didn't think anyone would go for my ideas, to be honest. But it just seemed stupid to leave a perfectly good village when we can help build and expand it."

Arashi nodded, saying "That's what we had in mind. Listen, this is unofficial as of now, but some of the God Eaters might be heading out of the village soon. This village is a tiny speck on this planet, and we need to learn the area."

He glanced at Seba as they walked, telling him "Make sure the others are training, because they aren't going to be sitting on the sidelines anymore. They'll be hunters from here on out." He nodded, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

They reached Soma and Sakuya, only to see that Kanon, Ketsu, and another girl had joined the group. The unknown girl looked very similar to Ketsu; golden eyes, tanned skin, and similarly lean bodies. Soma was talking energetically to her, so Arashi assumed that this girl was the one Soma called Alara.

"Alright guys, the ex-civilians have a representative, and a new goal. Meet Seba Nile. Seba, you know Kanon Daiba, Soma Schicksal, and Sakuya Tachibana. Ketsu, Alara, could you introduce yourselves?" Arashi listed.

Ketsu nodded, holding his hand out as he said "My name is Ketsu Ikala, and this is my sister Alara. How is Kokoto Village so far?" he asked as a conversation starter.

Seba looked a bit overwhelmed as he shook Ketsu's hand, saying "It's much . . . different than what we're used to. So much more vibrant."

Ketsu tilted his head in confusion, so Arashi clarified by saying "The monsters we mentioned before, back on Terra . . . they ate literally everything. Vegetation, buildings, plastics. . . our world was nearly barren."

Ketsu nodded in understanding, flashing a confident grin as he said "Well . . . do you have a weapon yet?" Seba nodded and said "The metalsmith called it a hammer, though it looks a lot stronger than it sounds," he added with a slight grin of his own.

Ketsu announced "Alright then, I think we should split into two different groups and begin some quests. We should probably go with three or four people each, to keep out of each other's ways."

Everyone nodded, and split into two groups. The first group – Arashi, Seba, and Ketsu – headed to the marketplace for extra supplies. After Arashi had left Ketsu's house, Ketsu had made a list of the items they would need on a month-long journey. This involved dried food, ample water for several people, items, whetstones, and clothing.

They all needed adequate armor as well, but that would have to be tackled another time. For the time being, Ketsu and Arashi brought spare weapon pieces and salvaged equipment from the downed shuttle so they could trade for food and supplies.

The second group – Soma, Alara, Kanon, and Sakuya – headed to the building Ketsu called a 'Guild Hall'. It was large and imposing, and the inside wasn't any less impressive. There were very few people inside, but a lady standing behind a desk was looking bored until the group walked in.

"Welcome to the Kokoto Guild Hall, is there anything I could help with?" she asked, perking up quickly. Alara told her "Yes, we're going to need a low ranked quest. These three aren't familiar with protocols, so could you give them the highlights?"

The girl nodded, pulling out a large booklet and motioning for the group to come to her. "First, I need to see your Guild cards," she announced, and the four people gave their regular cards to the woman. She looked over them briefly before nodding, satisfied.

She pulled out several sheets of tan paper, putting them on the desk for the group to see. "These are the current quests that we have. Not very many because we're a subdivision, but take your pick."

There were five slips of paper, all of which consisting of gathering various items. Before Alara could pick any of them, Soma grumbled "these aren't nearly good enough. Are there any quests that are higher than our rank?"

The lady hesitated before saying "Well, there is one other, but it's a few ranks higher than your qualifications. The Guild technically can't refuse to give you the quest, but we can urge you to rethink your choice."

Soma's expression was determined as he said "I'm sure it won't be too hard for us. We'll complete it." The lady shrugged, showing them the last paper. Alara sighed, grabbing the paper reluctantly and reading out the contents.

"'Monkey Business: Retrieve one egg from the nest of a troublesome Congalala. Difficulty: Intermediate.' Doesn't seem too hard, but Congalala's are tricky to fight," Alara told them. Sakuya slowly nodded, saying "It would be good practice . . . I'm game."

Soma nodded, grinning as he said "So it's a monkey, eh . . ? Seems close to a Kongou. This should be fun." Kanon, though nervous, nodded with narrowed eyes. Alara looked at each face before turning back to the woman at the counter, saying with a grimace "I guess we're doing this quest."

The lady nodded, writing some notes on the paper before saying "Here is the location, and here is the drop off point where you take the egg. Finish the quest within 12 hours of reaching the area, otherwise the next caravan will arrive at the same place 24 hours later."

After the paperwork was filled out, the group grabbed their weapons and headed off to the area. The area was supposed to be a swamp with several cave tunnels, and there were many creatures that inhabited the swamps.

Soma exclaimed "Onward, to victory!" with a dramatic expression on his face. Sakuya sighed before lightly slapping the back of his head while saying "Sometimes, I wonder where your sanity went. You're much different, you know?"

Soma rubbed the back of his head, glaring slightly as he said "Well, maybe when I'm in a better mood, I'll enlighten you as to 'where my sanity went.' Until then, might as well have a good attitude."

Kanon laughed at their childish exchange, and the group was in good spirits as they left the village in the direction of the swamp.

* * *

Sera woke up, feeling a pins and needles sensation all over her body. She laid in her bed, trying to calm the panic creeping into her mind by listening to the various voices outside the window. It seemed there were several people directly outside talking to Dan and Naoko.

"So how did Dan heal a broken bone so quickly? It shouldn't be possible to heal a wound like that in under half a week!" a man demanded in a gruff voice.

Dan's voice sounded out indignantly "How am I supposed to know why I heal so fast? My entire body was sore earlier, so maybe the medicine we used had something to do with it!"

Another voice, belonging to Naoko, said "A lot of us have higher constitution, and we needed it back in our old home. Why are you so worried?"

A fourth voice, an unknown female voice, responded "We aren't worried about him, but we need to know if it's natural or because of a medicine. Healing abilities like that would be vastly useful to us."

The pins and needles subsided enough to allow Sera to sit up in her bed. She moved each of her fingers and toes, getting the blood circulating through her body. She stood up from her bed and took two steps forward . . .

. . . only to promptly trip and fall face-first on the floor.

"Agh!" she yelled as she tumbled awkwardly, clutching her now-hurting forehead and laying on her back. She heard footsteps in the house and felt herself being pulled up by her upper torso. Naoko worriedly asked "What happened? Did you hurt yourself?"

Sera growled, muttering "Suddenly, my legs don't want to agree with my brain. I tripped and fell onto the floor." Now standing and gripping Naoko's shoulder for support, she hobbled back to the bed and sat upright on it.

"Something feels wrong with me. Like, everything in my body has a delayed timing," Sera admitted. Naoko patted her shoulder, reassuringly saying "No worries, my body was stiff as a board until Alice gave me some kind of medicine. It still hurts, but I'm able to walk it off and ignore it for now."

Sera grumbled to herself as Naoko pulled a bottle of amber liquid from a satchel on her stomach. Naoko uncorked the bottle and handed it to Sera, saying "Take a few sips and prepare to crash hard. This is a pretty potent sedative, as well as a body cleanser."

Sera nodded, taking a small sip and instantly feeling her eyelids droop. Her head fell backwards as Naoko grabbed the bottle away from her, and the last thing she heard was a quiet "Sweet dreams . . ."

* * *

In a completely different land, one unknown to the Gaians, a figure sat upon a cluster of rocks and gazed upon his work. He was not proud, in any measure of the word, that he had to do this.

The ground below him was scorched and aflame, the vegetation completely nonexistent and the landscape dotted with pools of lava. The air shimmered with the intense heat, and yet the figure continued watching, seemingly unbothered by the heat.

_Did I truly make the right choice? Was there no other course of action I could've taken?_

_Have I really destroyed our enemies . . . or have I only replaced them?_

Questions, questions, and more questions echo in the figure's head. He was morally torn into pieces; just because someone told him it had to be done . . . doesn't mean they were automatically right. That detail was sadly overlooked in the heat of the moment.

He closed his eyes, tired of gazing at the results of his choice, and stood from his spot on the rubble. He had cast away his friends, his adopted family - those he truly cherished - all in the name of judgment.

And was his judgment sound? Hard to tell. Was it smart? Probably not the wisest of choices.

These uncertain answers bring the next, impossible question:

Was it the right thing to do, or the wrong thing?

The figure forcefully sighed, speaking to himself and breaking the silence that had engulfed him for the last several days, "I hope you're proud of yourself, Kama. You really screwed up big time."

_And it's true_, the figure thought; regardless of whether his actions were right, wrong, smart, stupid, or otherwise . . . it wasn't a choice he wanted to make. Wasn't a choice he was supposed to make.

_All for Nova . . . eh? Arashi was right; I've cut every tie I had, and for what? Power?_

He growled, crushing the rocks under his foot. _Power is useless here. I really have lost everything._

He turned away from the burning earth, only to see . . . more flames.

In the beginning, the dancing motions of the widespread fires relaxed him. Now, they sickened him.

He walked anyways . . . through the fields of fire that are constant reminders of his decision.

_Was there really nothing else I could've done?_

* * *

A/N: So yeah. Chapter 8. Nothing much special, but it's going to be a bit more… my style next chapter.

Sebastian (AKA Seba) is the second story-specific OC that I implemented. He will be described and outlined as the story goes on.

Cheers~


	9. Swamp of Reflection

The four hunters arrived in the designated swamplands shortly before nightfall, holding their weapons at the ready and watching everywhere. There were loud buzzing noises that echoed from everywhere at once, and the waters were bathed in a purplish hue.

Alara announced "We should set up camp somewhere, in case one of you needs emergency medical attention. The swamps in this part of the world are dangerous enough in daylight, but there are several extra hazards while the sun is down."

While they pulled out the large tent and began setting it up, Kanon asked "Like what? Give us a rundown of what to do and what not to do." Soma nodded while facing away, keeping guard while everyone else was busy. Sakuya pulled out the potions and whetstones, divvying the supplies between everyone.

Alara said "Keep out of the purple-tinted water. Some type of toxin rises from the swamp bed when the sun falls, and the water gets contaminated with contact poison. It gets in your pores, and it's fast acting." Sakuya hummed, asking "Do we have antidotes, in case of an accident?"

Alara shook her head, muttering "I didn't expect us to take so long getting here, so I wasn't prepared for a nighttime fight. There should be herbs in the field, though, so there's something." Sakuya shrugged, saying "We'll have to be careful, I guess," while making four piles of supplies.

Alara continued on, "Next, watch out for Vespoids. They're abnormally large mosquitoes with thick stingers. They love swarming in groups of ten or more, and their stingers have a paralyzing toxin in them. One or two stings, you might not be affected. If the toxin takes hold, your muscles stiffen up and you start hallucinating."

Soma grimaced, then hurriedly asked "Okay, and what about our main target? This . . . Congalala, was it called? How should we fight it? Where is it's nest?"

Alara told them "Congalala's are annoying, but predictable. They're fat, slow monkeys with large claws and a long tail. It's smart enough to run away when it thinks it's being overwhelmed, and it eats the vegetation to get its energy back. Some of the mushrooms in the area boost adrenaline and quicken the healing of most minor wounds."

As they climbed over a hill, Alara continued, "They can be clumsy and they look very uncoordinated, but they have a tendency to . . ." a grimace crosses her face, and she muttered ". . .to throw their own excrement at attackers."

Sakuya and Kanon both exclaimed in disgust, while Soma found it oddly funny. He grinned a bit, asking "So basically . . . be quick, be persistent, and avoid getting shit on you? Sounds like a blast," he finished with a chuckle.

Sakuya rolled her eyes, saying "Well, I don't fancy my chances of washing that stink out of my hair and clothes. What else?" she directed at Alara as they neared the mouth of an underground cave.

"Umm . . . Oh! If it gets angry enough, it's snout gets enflamed and it becomes much faster. It also hits a lot harder, too. It would be best to hang back and let it calm down before going back into the fight."

"As for their nest, it's normally in a secluded spot. It would be best to at least knock the Congalala unconscious before we try to raid it, otherwise we'll have a rough fight on our hands," Alara finished, brandishing her weapon. It was a bow that was covered in orange scales, similar to her armor. She also had a large sheath on her back, nearly overfilled with large metal arrows. She also had a pouch on her arm that had eight vials of four different kinds of liquids secured with straps.

"Well, this might be a little unpleasant, but it's nothing compared to our old enemies!" Kanon cheerfully said, hoisting her large hollowed bone cannon from her back into her hands. Instead of her usual clothes, she wore reinforced leather with pieces of metal protecting vital areas. On her left thigh, there was a pouch that was filled with throwing daggers, and on the side of the pouch were six vials of two different liquids; a yellow one and a purple one.

"Yeah, I'm game for a new experience. Let's try to avoid the poisoned water though, shall we?" Sakuya laughed, gripping her gun lance in one hand and a large tower shield in the other. The silver metal gleamed in the moonlight, and all four bayonet spikes were disengaged and resting against the gun barrel in an X shape. She wore a tanned leather coat and skirt that were lined with white fur. She had the gloves off, preferring to be able to have direct contact with her gun, and the fur hood was kept down for now. Sakuya had cut her hair short, and it now rested in waves halfway down her neck.

"We're wasting time standing here; let's get moving, already," Soma grumbled impatiently. His large buster blade was resting on his back, the weight now more comfortable since Soma was getting used to it. He had bought some armor that was basically leather with bones protecting his joints. The helmet, an oppressive skull with horns on each side, was discarded in exchange for a small red pendant. Since his snowy hair had grown longer from his time on Terra - it reached the base of his neck now -, it was long enough to have a small braid on the right side. He attached the bobble to a feather and tied it to the braid, making sure it was secure.

The group traversed into the cave, taking care to keep silent. The shadows kept playing tricks with their peripheral vision, so they were all nervously glancing around as they searched for their target. There was an enormous crystal formation on one side of the cave, and after wordlessly asking Alara, Sakuya silently made her way over to the crystals and slid her hand across the ground to search for crystals.

"Aha, found a few!" she quietly cheered, and Soma whispered "Can we hurry up and go? This buzzing is really fraying my nerves." After a few heartbeats, Alara said in a normal volume "Grab your weapons out; we just walked right into these things."

Sakuya was in the middle of asking "Wha-" before a freakishly large mosquito dive-bombed from the ceiling and lightly grazed her arm with the stinger. "Keep moving, don't stay in one spot for too long!" Alara ordered, taking out her bow and firing an arrow in the direction of the offending bug. The arrow clipped one of its wings, and it fell in a heap on the floor, writhing around.

Suddenly, the cave was alive with agile insects, and the group was hard pressed to avoid being stung. Soma pulled his blade from his back and swept it downward, crushing one of the bugs against the cave floor. "Not very hard to kill, but-" Soma paused in his sentence, pulling his weapon to the side and slashing all around him to scatter a group of them, "there are so damn many of them!" he finished, yelling in pain as one of the insect's embedded its stinger in his thigh.

He punched the bug off of him, causing the stinger to break off while stuck in his leg. "Piece of shit bugs!" he yelled, punting the bug across the cave and causing it to crash into the wall. He took a moment to see the rest of the team's progress.

Sakuya was doing well, using her bayonet sections to skewer bugs and blast them away. Her face was streaked with gunpowder from the rapid firing of her gunlance, but she didn't seem to need help.

Alara was running and rolling all around the cave, firing bolt after bolt as well as makeshift arrows made of broken stingers. She had her fight under control, so Soma turned to help Kanon, whom was completely unprepared for the rapid attacks.

He ran to Kanon, who had given up on using the cannon and was using her throwing knives as makeshift dual blades to hold the bugs off. Soma drew his blade and made a homerun swing to knock away a mosquito that was trying to stab her back. "Thanks!" she gasped, and Soma nodded before returning to the battle.

In a battle that lasted minutes - yet seemed to last hours - the last bug was either dead, dying, or flying away. Everyone was bandaging their wounds, and Soma was about to report that he was uninjured before remembering that he got stabbed in the leg.

He looked down, and instantly wished he didn't. He couldn't feel anything, but the wound was dripping blood while some kind of clear slime leaked from the stinger lodged in his leg. He yanked out the stinger, still unable to feel anything, and realized his leg was as stiff as a board.

". . . I think I might need some antidote for my leg. I got jabbed by one of them," Soma hesitantly told Alara. She took one look and dashed over, exclaiming "That's a little more than a jab, Soma! Hold still . . ."

With his leg bandaged and the feeling returning, the group trudged onward, exiting the caves a few minutes later. Soma's leg burned like hell, but he could walk, jog, and roll well enough. The area after the cave was a small hilled area with two trees acting as a canopy of sorts.

To their right, they heard a loud squeal echoing through the air. Alara murmured "Is it in the curve . . . or in the poisoned flatlands . . ?", then decided "Alright, this way. Be careful; the crops in the area are pretty tall," as she led them through the muddy land.

The next area was a flat stretch of land covered in weeds and wheat that reached up to their thighs. Alara warned "There's a large bend in this area, and the Congalala likes to feed on the wheat here. Be prepared for a fight."

The group slowly travelled through, peeking around the bend to see a large monkey eating a blue mushroom from its tail, which held the mushroom. It had large claws, a silly mohawk, and large blunt teeth. Alara whispered "Gotcha . . ."

Carefully, Kanon snuck closer and grabbed a flash bomb from her satchel. She abruptly stood up, yelling at the Congalala "Hey, mush for brains! Lookie here!"

The monkey was startled, turning toward Kanon and growling with a high pitched tone. Kanon threw the flash bomb as it turned, and covered her eyes when the blinding light burst from it. A loud squeal of pain alerted the group to the bomb's effect, and they all dashed forward to attack.

Soma drew his blade and slashed downward, crushing part of the claws on one of its paws. Sakuya drew her gunlance, firing shells into its hide. Kanon used her bowgun to fire heavy bullets into its tail. As for Alara, she fired her arrows into the Congalala's face.

It was beautiful teamwork, it was excellent precision, as effective as they could possibly get . . .

. . .A little too effective, as the Congalala collapsed from all of the injuries and died.

". . .That's it?" Soma stared, dumbfounded. Sakuya rolled her eyes and started counting her remaining shells. Kanon said "At least no one got hurt," though she looked a little disappointed as well.

Alara was impressed; they knew exactly where to aim and slash to cause the most damage, and they attacked with a determination she hadn't seen since the deceased Hero of Kokoto. She grinned, saying "Alright, let's go get the egg now. Soma, will you-"

That was as far as she got before a second, larger Congalala jumped from a ledge above and flattened her.

* * *

"Alara!" Soma yelled, dashing forward and trying to homerun swing it's head. It jumped backward, however, causing Soma to miss entirely and the weapon to slam into the wall right next to him. The Congalala screeched angrily, its face a deep red flush. Alara was on the ground, unmoving.

"Kanon, get Alara to safety! Sakuya, back me up!" Soma declared, and the two girls responded with a chorus of "Roger!". Kanon rushed towards Soma, who held Alara carefully. She was still breathing, but her arm was bent backwards and there were several cuts all along her body.

"Take care of her, but don't get into trouble, Kanon. I'm counting on you." Soma told her, then yanked his blade out of the wall. The Congalala screeched again and dashed toward the group, its claws gouging up dirt and wheat alike.

Kanon put Alara's body on her back, dashing backward and yelling "Don't screw this up, Soma!" as she sprinted back to the camp. Soma rolled to the side to avoid the rampaging monkey, then sideswiped against its hide. The blade, now damaged from the wall, didn't cut as deep as Soma would've liked.

Sakuya charged forward, her weapon's bayonet engaged and pointed forward. The Congalala stopped abruptly, using its arm to slap the weapon barrel away. Caught off guard, Sakuya stumbled and fell into the dirt with a cry of pain. The monkey used the opportunity to lift its clawed arm and thrust downward . . .

It was interrupted as Soma, with a loud yell, ran up to Sakuya and, while pulling out his blade, sliding between her body and the Congalala's arm with his weapon held in front of him. The monkey's paw slammed against the flat side of Soma's blade and it roared in pain as two of its claws snapped off.

It backed away, limping on its injured paw, and dashed to their left into what looked like a flat, muddy ground. Soma lifted his blade and offered his arm to Sakuya, who took it gratefully and pulled herself to her feet.

"You alright?" he asked worriedly. She nodded, and said "That was definitely . . . different from the first one. You think it was the other parent?" Soma told her "I was thinking that too. Maybe the father, since it was bigger."

He looked at his weapon, seeing the dented black metal that encased the bone blade, and slowly asked "How do whetstones work again? Scrape it against the blade edge to make it sharper, right?" Sakuya nodded, pulling out a whetstone of her own and scraping it against the bayonets of her weapon. Soma did the same with his buster sword, only somewhat satisfied at the minor fix.

"We gotta finish this quickly and get that egg, otherwise Alara got hurt for nothing. You ready to continue on?" Soma asked. Sakuya growled out "Let's finish this thing. Forget knocking it unconscious; I'm going for the kill." Soma's eyebrow lifted, and as they continued on, he asked "A little bloodthirsty, don't you think?"

Sakuya glared right back at him, angrily replying "A little nonchalant, don't you think?" Soma nodded, blanking his face and saying "We'll clear things up after we're done. Until then, focus. It won't help anything if you go get yourself injured from being reckless."

She nodded, turning away from him and facing the area they were about to go in. It was a wide, muddy area with the areas around the cave walls coated in purple-tinted water pools. There were more of the things Alara had called Vespoids, as well as several smaller creatures that resembled the Congalala eating a mushroom in the middle of the area.

Soma looked at Sakuya, and she looked at him. Their eyes met, and non-vocal cues passed lightning fast between them - honed from years of fighting Aragami as a team. They nodded to each other, and they split off; Soma to handle the Congalala, Sakuya to handle the bugs and little monkeys.

Soma dashed toward the now-aware Congalala, who screeched at him as he got closer and drew his blade in a downward arc . . .

* * *

"Nasty!" Soma complained as he brushed egg shell off of him. Sakuya snickered, jokingly brushing her hair while saying "You missed a spot behind your ear!" Soma snapped "I'll show you who missed a spot!", but he had to admit, it was ridiculous how close they had come to failure because of bad luck.

Soma grabbed the large egg, catching a whiff of something infinitely nasty. "Why does this smell like rotten tuna, and why am I the only one carrying it?" Soma announced in a monotone voice. Sakuya innocently shrugged, and Soma grumbled while hoisting it up and tying his ripped undershirt underneath the egg so it didn't fall.

They walked slowly back to camp, leaving the ravaged battlefield behind them. After a few minutes, Soma cleared his throat and asked "So . . . about earlier."

Sakuya glanced at him with unreadable eyes, then turned forward again and told him "Ever since we left Terra . . . since we left Lindow . . . I find myself slowly warming to the idea of fighting and killing monsters. It gives me a warm feeling, even when we begin to lose."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, judging his expression as she continued, "It's the only thing that makes me feel . . . alive, I guess. Like, we haven't lost yet. Lindow would've wanted us to survive, after all." She sighed, then added "He always did value our lives over his own . . ."

Soma surprised her when he said "I know the feeling. That was how I lived my life before meeting Kinaia. Only looking forward to the next battle, never feeling comfort or peace outside of the hunt." He nodded to himself, elaborating, "Nothing quite like having the power of life and death in your hands. It's addicting."

Sakuya stopped, forcing Soma to stop with her. She tilted her head, asking "before you met Kinaia? How did that bloodlust-filled girl turn your life around?" Soma narrowed his eyes at what he thought was an insult, but decided that Sakuya wasn't the slandering kind of person.

He gazed up, thinking before saying, "Well, it was a mix of things. Loving Kinaia gave me a purpose to fight. If she was safe . . . then I was happy. At the same time, when my father died and Terra was devoured by Nova, it was like I was set free."

At her questioning glance, he clarified "I was set free from the reputation I had as a God of Death. People actually trust me here, without the need to prove myself over and over. I have a clean slate." Sakuya nodded slowly, and asked "Is that why you told Zhar your name was Soma 'Tsumi'?"

He quietly chuckled, and as they continued walking, he said "Yes, and no. I wish I could've been that close to Kinaia, but at the same time . . . I didn't want to keep my old name. It brings nothing but bad memories of a cursed childhood."

Sakuya slowed down, watching Soma with a new perception. He walked with his shoulders up and an upbeat gait, as opposed to his somber appearance back on Terra. He even **sounded** more cheerful._ Perhaps . . . losing our home had some perks in the end._

Soma, having just noticed that Sakuya was slowing down, turned around and asked "You alright? Should we take a quick breather?"

She shook her head and sped up, overtaking Soma and heading toward the now-visible tent. _Soma's changed, I've changed, and I'm willing to bet almost everyone else has changed too._

* * *

Kanon had bandaged Alara as best as she could, and splinted her broken arm. She had a few cracked ribs, but nothing that would be life threatening. She had awoken a few seconds ago, wondering where she was.

"You're at camp. You got flattened by a second Congalala, and I had to take you back to camp. You have minor cuts and bruises, at least two cracked ribs, and a badly broken arm." Kanon reported calmly, and Alara seemed to panic.

"W-where's Soma and Sakuya?!" she exclaimed, and Kanon hesitated. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since she escaped with Alara, so there was no telling what happened. Out loud, however, Kanon reassured her by saying "Those two are too stubborn to accept defeat. They'll be back soon, just you watch."

Kanon moved so that she could prop Alara's head up with her knee, and said "If you want to stay awake, why don't you try talking about yourself? I'm always happy to make a new friend," she added with a gentle smile.

Alara hesitated, before saying "Well . . . I like to draw, as a hobby. It's not that important, and I never really have time for it anymore, but . . . it helps Ketsu with his work," she slowly said. Her eyes dimmed as she thought.

"Ketsu is a bit of an oddball in the village. He wants to learn 'everything about everything', in his own words. He has these booklets that he never lets anyone else touch or see, besides me. They're records of all types of monsters in our territory, filled from front to back with insanely in-depth details that he wrote down himself."

She glanced downward, and quietly continued, "I don't really have any useful qualities. I can't fight that well, my academics are average, I'm terrible with strategy . . . Nothing useful for the village. But I'm great at drawing, so I help Ketsu. He's horrible at drawing," she quietly chuckled.

Kanon nodded, telling her "Surely you're good at other things. You listed off what we should and shouldn't do during this mission like you had it memorized!" Alara shook her head, though, and said "All of that came from Ketsu's research. He's good at what he does. Me, I'm just . . . support. Support in battle, and support in Ketsu's dream."

Before Kanon could respond, she heard rustling outside of the tent. A moment later, and Sakuya rushed inside of the tent, exclaiming "You're awake! How do you feel?"

Soma's voice from outside grumbled "Oh, sure, just leave this heavy ass egg to me! **I'll** take care of it!" The sarcasm in his voice was nearly palpable. Sure enough, he walked into the tent holding an enormous egg that stank of raw eggs and sweat.

"Eugh, are you sure that thing isn't rotten?!" Kanon asked, plugging her nose in disgust. Soma grumbled while setting it carefully down, saying "The people getting it better hope it's not rotten, because it was the only intact egg in the nest. Trouble with the Congalala daddy, don't ask."

Alara, who was shocked into silence, breathed out in relief and said "You're all okay. That's very good," before letting her head loll backward into Kanon's lap. Kanon looked up at the other two, grinning and asking "So, 'trouble with the Congalala daddy'?"

Soma stayed silent, so Sakuya told her "The monkey threw him **into** the nest. Every egg besides this one was crushed, and that one was saved only because Soma shoved it out of the way." Now that Kanon was aware of the circumstances, she could see bits of eggshell stuck in Soma's hair and on his armor . . .

She couldn't help it; she giggled and fell backward, unable to get the image of Soma covered in egg yolk out of her head. Soma scoffed, saying "Whatever. I'm taking a bath when we get back."

Sakuya asked "Speaking of: how do we get back? Do we hike it by foot, or is there transportation?"

Kanon pulled out the quest paper, and read out "Upon completion of the quest, meet a convoy of Felynes on the outskirts of designated area approx. six hours after sunrise." She looked outside, noticing the setting moon, and said "We probably have . . . seven, seven and a half hours left? Let's take shifts and go to sleep."

Everyone nodded, and Sakuya volunteered. "Get some sleep you two; I'll wake Soma in a couple hours." Everyone agreed, and Soma was asleep in seconds. Listening to Alara's deep breaths and Soma's light snoring, she easily fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: Can someone say character development?!

A double chapter, as well! Think of it as my apology for taking so long.

Cheers~


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